We've delivered our first social homes at the Climate Innovation District in Leeds - working with one of the UK’s leading sustainable property developers, Citu.
The four-bedroom and two-bedroom homes at the country’s largest sustainable development are being made available for social rent – providing truly affordable and secure housing options for people in need during the housing crisis.
The homes have timber frames with recycled wood fibre insulation and triple-glazed windows. Heating usage is kept to a minimum through mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems, as well as the homes being airtight and well insulated. There are also solar arrays, which are co-owned by a residents’ Community Interest Company, to provide renewable energy.
Sustainability is a top priority for Yorkshire Housing - we've committed to achieving net-zero by 2050 and are investing £8 million to improve the energy efficiency of our homes.
We've also developed a net-zero roadmap that focuses on eliminating gas use, improving insulation and using renewable technologies in new build homes.
Sian Webster, our Executive Director of Growth and Assets, said: “We’re delighted to have taken handover of our first homes built by Citu. These are exactly the high standard of affordable and energy efficient homes we’re looking for in the S106 homes we purchase.
“Sustainability is at the very top of our agenda. We’re focusing on achieving net zero across our new build and existing homes by 2050 to tackle climate change and help our customers live more sustainably.
“These homes at the Climate Innovation District are extremely well insulated and airtight, benefitting from mechanical ventilation heat recovery systems. This means they need very little heating and overall use much less energy. It also means we won't have to retrofit these homes in the future like many new builds with gas boilers.
“We have a close partnership with Citu and look forward to working together on future opportunities. Being aligned in our values of investing in places and minimising our environmental impact means we’re ideal partners.”
Jonathan Wilson, Managing Director at Citu, said: “We are committed to delivering high-quality, sustainable, and future-proof affordable housing that provides real value to our neighbourhoods and communities. Across all our developments, we aim to create places that not only address current housing needs but also offer low-carbon living and exceptional design.
“Partnering with Yorkshire Housing has been a natural alignment for us, as they share a mutual vision to ensure more people have access to homes that make a difference.”
Once complete, the Climate Innovation District will comprise of 955 houses and apartments, workplaces, leisure, retail, and a net-zero building which will incorporate a two-form entry primary school, care home and apartments in one.
In the first completed phase, there is already a growing community of 268 residents, with all homes now occupied. These houses are the first to be built in Leeds City Centre for over 100 years.
The development is located close to Citu’s 60,000 sq ft timber frame manufacturing facility which has the capacity to produce up to 750 low-carbon homes each year.