Is Leeds Building Enough Homes?

There are concerns that there aren’t enough new homes being constructed in Leeds, and that those that are being built don’t cater for every demographic.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Jonathan Morgan, managing director of Morgan City Living, explained that while new homes are being constructed, they are predominantly aimed at single people and young couples.

His comments come after a Deloitte survey showed that Manchester is constructing considerably more residential properties than Leeds is, and has a greater variety of homes in its housing plan.

Mr Morgan said that Leeds is struggling to make the private rented sector (PRS) work, although he believes this will come in time.

“The PRS sector should also look to invest in more traditional house types in the inner and outer suburbs, where markets are equally starved of supply,” he asserted.

According to the Deloitte data, 619 residential units were under construction in Leeds last year, compared to 6,963 in Manchester.

Councillor Richard Lewis told the publication that the city council is looking at ways to get more families into Leeds, and that it is a “long-term project”.

It appears there could be more opportunities for building projects that cater for this demographic, which may mean more houses being constructed rather than high-rise apartment blocks.

Small builders would be an obvious choice to take on some of the work on smaller sites in and around Leeds, although SME builders across the UK are facing a number of obstacles, according to the Federation of Master Builders.

The organisation revealed that many are struggling to find suitable land for new houses, with just over half of those questioned saying that they feel there are fewer opportunities for small-scale residential developments now than there were in the past.

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