First Tenants Move Into Leeds Council Homes Swinnow 2026

Key Points

• First seven houses completed and handed over to tenants at Hough Top, Swinnow
• Total development comprises 82 homes: 55 houses and 27 apartments
• Site is former Hough Side High School at Hough Top, demolished in 2021-2022
• Construction began end of 2024, full completion expected winter 2026
• All properties available for affordable rent via Council Housing Growth Programme
• Properties feature air source heat pumps for energy efficiency and cost of living support
• £1.64m grant from West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Brownfield Housing Fund
• Willmott Dixon is lead contractor with £24m contract
• 4,500 square metres of public open space being created
• Nearly 28,000 households on Leeds Homes Register, over 5,000 in Band A (highest priority)
• New allocation policy may prioritise those with greatest housing need over waiting list length
• Social value programme includes 125 apprentice training weeks and 75 hours school engagement

Leeds City Council (The Leeds Times) June 5, 2025 – The first seven houses at a major new council housing development in Swinnow have been completed and handed over to tenants, marking a significant milestone for Leeds City Council’s housing programme. As reported by the Leeds City Council newsroom, “the first seven houses have been completed and handed over to tenants” at the Hough Top development, which is set to deliver 82 affordable homes in total.

How Many Homes Will the Hough Top Development Ultimately Provide?

The finished scheme will comprise 55 houses and 27 apartments, with a mix of one, two, three and four bedrooms, according to Leeds City Council. The apartments will be located in a new three-storey building named Hough Top Court, as confirmed by West Leeds Dispatch journalist John Baron. The development of 82 houses and apartments has been taking shape on the site of a former school at Hough Top, in Swinnow, near Pudsey, since the end of 2024.

Work is proceeding at pace on the rest of the development, with full completion expected this winter, the council reported. Main works were expected to start in December 2024 for scheme completion in late 2026, according to the Construction Enquirer’s November 2024 report on Willmott Dixon winning the £24m contract.

Why Was This Site Chosen for Council Housing Development?

The Hough Top site had lain empty since the demolition of the former Hough Side High School buildings in 2021 and 2022, as Leeds City Council stated. Planning officials advised council members to endorse the proposal for 82 new residences at the site of former Hough Side High in Swinnow despite multiple objections from local residents, BBC News reported in June 2024.

Despite local concerns over design and access, Leeds City Council secured planning permission last October for the development, West Leeds Dispatch journalist John Baron reported.

The proposed two-storey brick houses will be a mixture of two, three and four bedrooms, with each house having its own parking spaces and private garden space, according to the Construction Enquirer.

What Makes These Homes Energy Efficient and Affordable for Tenants?

Energy efficiency measures such as individual air source heat pumps will give tenants welcome assistance with the cost of living, Leeds City Council confirmed.

The new homes will be fitted with air source heat pumps, a sustainable heating solution that will help cut carbon emissions, tackle fuel poverty and support Leeds’s net zero ambitions, as West Leeds Dispatch reported.

All the properties will be available for affordable rent by council tenants, an important boost for an area where there is high demand for housing that meets a range of needs, the council stated.

All 82 properties at Hough Top will be made available for affordable rent, with the proposal being to allocate them under the housing need quota only rather than the current 50/50 split between waiting list length and housing need, John Baron of West Leeds Dispatch reported.

How Is the Hough Top Project Being Funded?

The majority of the funding for the Hough Top scheme is being provided by the council’s housing service via Right to Buy receipts and borrowing, with £1.64m of grant support coming from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Brownfield Housing Fund, Leeds City Council confirmed. Willmott Dixon is understood to have secured the contract to build the council houses with a £24m bid, the Construction Enquirer reported.

What Social Value Benefits Is the Development Bringing to the Local Community?

Another element of the scheme will see around 4,500 square metres of public open space being created at the site, Leeds City Council reported. The wider community is also benefiting from a tie-in programme of social value activity by the scheme’s lead contractor, construction company Willmott Dixon, the council added.

To date, Willmott Dixon’s team has run 125 apprentice training weeks, undertaken nearly 75 hours of school engagement and carried out a wealth of career mentoring for local people, according to Leeds City Council. Chris Yates, Yorkshire director at Willmott Dixon, said:

“We are equally focused on the legacy we leave beyond the buildings – creating skills and employment opportunities for local people through our Building Lives Academy programme and our engagement with nearby schools and colleges”.

What Do Council Leaders Say About This Housing Milestone?

Councillor Peter Carlill, Leeds City Council’s executive member for transport and planning, said:

“We are determined to do everything we can to deliver good quality, energy efficient and affordable council housing in communities across the city. It’s therefore great news that the first homes at Hough Top have been completed and tenants are now settling into them”.

Councillor Carlill added:

“I was delighted to have the chance to visit this week to see the new houses and the progress being made on the rest of the development. The transformation taking place at Hough Top really does underline the difference that our Council Housing Growth Programme can make to people’s lives – and whole communities”.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“At a time when people are facing cost of living pressures, delivering new, affordable homes has never been so important. Devolution is making a real difference for communities, through our £110m investment to accelerate the delivery of thousands of much-needed homes in Pudsey and across West Yorkshire”.

Mayor Brabin continued:

“Working in partnership with Leeds City Council, we’re not just building homes, we’re building brighter futures and investing in places where people can live, work and thrive for generations to come”.

What Does the Council Housing Growth Programme Achive Across Leeds?

The Hough Top project is being delivered via Leeds’s Council Housing Growth Programme (CHGP), which has already built or acquired hundreds of homes in recent years, Leeds City Council reported. Around 350 new homes have been built via the Council Housing Growth Programme since 2018, according to the Construction Enquirer.

Notable new-build CHGP successes in recent times include the delivery of a 33-home scheme at Brooklands Avenue in Seacroft and a 55-home development in the Ambertons area of Gipton, the council stated.

Another completed CHGP project can be found in Middleton, where 176 homes – including the 60-apartment Gascoigne House extra care facility – have been built on land previously occupied by Throstle Recreation Ground and Middleton Skills Centre.

CHGP schemes currently under construction include the Middlecross development in Armley, which will provide 65 apartments for affordable rent by people aged over 55 with care and support needs, Leeds City Council confirmed.

Explore More Leeds City Council

UK Records Hottest May: Leeds Council Issues Urgent Heatwave Advice 2026

Leeds Council Approves Major Roadway Safety Infrastructure Grant Leeds 2026

How Urgent Is the Housing Need in Leeds?

Leeds is facing an unprecedented demand for social housing, with nearly 28,000 households on the Leeds Homes Register, of which over 5,000 are in Band A, the highest priority band, a council report states as quoted by West Leeds Dispatch. Most Band A customers are waiting on average at least two years to be offered a home with the council, the report added.

The proposal is to allocate the new builds at Hough Top under the housing need quota only, rather than the current 50/50 split between waiting list length and housing need, John Baron of West Leeds Dispatch reported.

By adopting this quota system, the policy will help to address the increasing demand for housing and support the overarching allocation process, ensuring that those in greatest need are prioritised for new build homes, the council report stated.

Customers may be assessed as having an urgent need to be rehoused based on being homelessness or threatened with homelessness, or having an urgent medical need to move, the report adds.

This change will support customers with the greatest housing need and contribute to the best council objectives of tackling poverty and improving health and wellbeing, Leeds City Council stated.

What Does the Contractor Say About Handing Over the First Homes?

Chris Yates, Yorkshire director at Willmott Dixon, said:

“Handing over the first seven homes is a significant milestone for Hough Top and, above all, for the families now moving in. It marks the point at which years of planning and construction begin to make a tangible difference to people’s lives”.

Yates added:

“Our local team has brought considerable housing expertise to this scheme, working closely with Leeds City Council to deliver high quality, energy efficient homes that meet a genuine local need. We look forward to completing the remaining homes this winter”.

Background: The Development of Hough Top Council Housing

The Hough Top scheme will see a total of 82 high-quality and energy efficient homes being built on a former school site in Swinnow, near Pudsey, Open Doors Construction confirmed. The development comprises 55 houses and 27 apartments, with a mix of one, two, three and four bedrooms, suitable for adaptation and fitted with air source heat pumps.

The properties will all be made available for affordable rent, giving an important helping hand to families in a part of Leeds that has significant housing needs, according to both Leeds City Council and Open Doors Construction.

The development will benefit the wider community by creating a range of employment, skills and apprenticeship opportunities, Open Doors Construction stated.

The scheme is being delivered via Leeds’s Council Housing Growth Programme (CHGP), with funding support from West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Brownfield Housing Fund. The development is set to comprise 28 two-bedroom houses, 23 three-bedroom houses, four four-bedroom houses, alongside 17 one-bedroom and ten two-bedroom flats, planning officials reported in June 2024.

Since the initial presentation of the planning application to the panel in March, modifications have been made, including enhancements to the design of an apartment building that will be part of the project, the planning report highlighted.

The initiative would offer “100 percent affordable housing with all properties set at social rent,” according to the planning report.

Prediction: How Will This Development Affect Leeds Housing Applicants and Local Families?

This development will directly affect nearly 28,000 households currently on the Leeds Homes Register, particularly the over 5,000 applicants in Band A who face an average wait of at least two years for council housing, as reported by West Leeds Dispatch.

If the proposed allocation policy change is adopted, prioritising housing need over waiting list length, applicants with urgent homelessness, medical, or hardship circumstances will benefit most from the Hough Top homes.

The affordable rent properties will provide crucial support to families in Swinnow and surrounding areas facing significant housing challenges, Leeds Star reported when construction began.

The air source heat pumps fitted to all homes will help tenants tackle fuel poverty and reduce energy costs during ongoing cost of living pressures, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, noted.

For local families in Swinnow and Pudsey, the creation of 4,500 square metres of public open space will provide community benefits beyond housing, transforming a site that had been empty since 2022 into a residential development with green space, Leeds City Council confirmed.

The £110m West Yorkshire investment in accelerating home delivery across Pudsey and West Yorkshire, which includes Hough Top, represents broader regional housing investment that could influence future developments.

The social value programme delivering 125 apprentice training weeks and career mentoring for local people may create employment opportunities for Swinnow residents beyond the construction phase, Willmott Dixon’s Yorkshire director Chris Yates stated.

If the council adopts the housing need quota system city-wide later this year, as suggested in the council report, thousands of additional Leeds housing applicants could benefit from prioritised allocation to new build homes across the city.