Today [Tuesday 21 May] Caddick Group, the leading privately owned property and construction firm, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, at The UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) to work together to accelerate the delivery of South Village in Leeds.

Located just off Meadow Road, the £1bn South Village scheme, which can deliver up to 1,925 new homes, will be a focal point for the wider South Bank regeneration area – one of the largest brownfield projects in the UK. It received unanimous approval from Leeds City Council’s City Plans Panel in March, where it was praised for the quality of its vision and design.

Caddick has been working with the local authority to help accelerate the delivery of homes in the city. This agreement with Homes England is a step towards the infrastructure works starting on site before the end of the year, allowing the first plots to emerge in 2025.

South Village is the new name for the City One development area, a 10 acre site on Leeds’ South Bank. Forming part of the wider vision to regenerate this underutilised area of the city centre, the South Village masterplan, created by the award-winning SimpsonHaugh Architects, will create new pedestrian connections, extend emerging green corridors across the centre and set aside more than half of the site for landscaped spaces.

Focused around a contemporary village green the size of a professional sports field, the project will also offer up to 450 hotel beds and 70,000m2 of commercial space, specifically targeting businesses looking for highly sustainable new facilities.

The project will also feature a travel hub, maximising connectivity with West Yorkshire’s proposed mass transit system and its planned Leeds line.

Lee Savage, Director at Caddick Developments said: “This agreement with Homes England will be instrumental in accelerating our work on this project, allowing us to begin delivering much-needed city centre housing at pace, while also introducing significant public realm for all to enjoy. The ambition is that South Village will effectively redefine contemporary urban living in Leeds, located in the heart of the city centre, but offering all of the amenity of traditional village life.

“Thank you to Homes England, our city partners and the wider project team for their support to date in accelerating this transformational scheme.”

Peter Denton, Chief Executive Officer at Homes England, said: “South Village has a significant role to play in the ongoing transformation of Leeds’ South Bank. West Yorkshire and Leeds have a clear vision for the city’s future, and we’re pleased to be working with Caddick and other local partners to bring that one step closer to reality.”

The project will feature a travel hub with a view to maximising connectivity with West Yorkshire’s proposed mass transit system and its planned Leeds line.

Councillor James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: “Developments like South Village are a great example of the wider South Bank’s potential, and illustrate why we have worked so hard to encourage regeneration activity there.

“South Village’s mix of homes, hotel accommodation, commercial opportunities and green space will complement the many other transformative projects that have already helped make the South Bank a really exciting place to live, work, visit and spend time. 

“It’s particularly pleasing that this scheme has scope for providing nearly 2,000 new homes and will therefore align with our own efforts to deliver good-quality housing on repurposed brownfield land in communities across the city.”

Kerrie Buckley, Associate Partner at SimpsonHaugh Architects said: “We are thrilled to hear Caddick Group have secured an agreement with Homes England to help bring forward development at South Village in Leeds. Placemaking is at the heart of our vision for this residential-led mixed use masterplan and we are excited to see the emergence of a distinctive new neighbourhood at the southern gateway into Leeds city centre.” 

For more information on South Village, visit: www.southvillage.co.uk, for more information on Caddick Group, visit: www.caddick.co.uk.