Following on from the recent announcement that works have started on site creating a new Leeds community of up to 1,800 homes at Skelton Gate in the Leeds Aire Valley, Templegate Developments Limited, the joint venture partnership of Evans Property Group and Keyland Developments, has appointed leading property agent Savills to market Phase 1 of the scheme.
Savills is seeking a housebuilder to bring forward the first phase of up to 500 homes in Phase 1 of Skelton Gate, which is transforming a 170-acre former open cast colliery site to the east of junction 45 of the M1. Planning permission is in place for up to 1,100 new homes, a primary and secondary school, public open space, a local centre and a convenience store, as well as associated infrastructure. An additional planning application is pending for a further 700 homes to take the total consented homes at Skelton Gate to 1,800.
Appointed contractor Hall Construction Services Limited is now on-site delivering the infrastructure to Phase 1 of the scheme, which is funded by a £20M Home Building Fund loan from Homes England. Phase 1 will deliver over 30 net acres of fully serviced development plots by Spring next year.
The Homes England loan will fund the delivery of infrastructure and ground preparation works for all three phases, which in total will cost over £50M. These crucial works will facilitate the development of the entire scheme, which is set to make a significant contribution to the region’s housing targets, in addition to enabling the creation of more than 500 new construction and operational jobs.
Peter Garrett, Managing Director of Keyland Developments, said; “With works on site well underway we are delighted to bring Savills into the team to market this hugely important scheme across the Leeds City Region. Regenerating this site and turning it into somewhere where a new community can thrive is hugely significant and will make a substantial contribution to housing provision across Leeds.”
James Pitt, Development Director at Evans Property Group, said; “The Savills team has extensive experience, both regionally and nationally, and is an excellent addition to the team working to bring this pivotal development to the area. Skelton Gate is a fantastic opportunity for an active housebuilder to be part of an ambitious and high-profile residential scheme that is set to make a major contribution to West Yorkshire’s housing supply.”
Simon Douglas, Director of Development Services at Savills Leeds, said; “This presents a rare opportunity for a housebuilder to be at the forefront of the vision for Skelton Gate and to work alongside our client to establish themselves as a key delivery partner for the long-term strategy in housing delivery across the site. The residential-led mixed use development will be sold fully serviced, thus we are expecting it to be particularly popular not only with national housebuilders, but with regional housebuilders too. The successful purchaser will be able to develop on-site from Spring 2020, with the sale of houses expected later the same year.”