We manage over 15,000 properties in the following areas:
Beeston, Dewsbury Road, Holbeck, Hunslet and Middleton
These make up our inner housing management area and together contain over 6,159 properties managed by our 'inner' housing management team. The communities border the immediate Southern edge of the city. The area generally was once one of the richest and most significant places in England due to it's industrial past and has 33 listed buildings, more than all those in York.
Demand for homes is generally high across all these communities, with pockets of very high demand in Hunslet, Beeston and Middleton. The inner area contains a mixture of property types, ranging from high rise blocks to traditional brick back to back properties lining the streets of Holbeck. The bulk of the homes, are however, family 2 and 3 bedroomed with a small number of larger units. The inner area has historically been viewed as an area of lower demand, however, like many areas of the city due to the take up of right to buy and the introduction of a choice based lettings system, demand has risen.
Almost all of the area is mixed in tenure, owner occupation, private rented and other social housing providers are all represented. The inner area is the most ethnically diverse in the whole of the Aire Valley Homes area. New and emerging communities are steadily increasing, adding greater diversity still to more established communities.
The area has sometimes struggled with anti-social behaviour and high profile incidents have had a negative effect on the image of the area. Building and sustaining community cohesion is therefore a priority for the ALMO and it's partners. Services in the inner area are accessed through a network of Council One Stop Centre's which gives customers opportunities to access our services as well as Council services and organisations such as Leeds City Credit Union.
Over recent years efforts have been made to regenerate the Holbeck and Beeston areas in particular. There are currently two high profile improvement schemes. The Holbeck Urban Village is expected to attract investment of around £800 million, and create around 5,000 jobs. In addition the Council have procured a PFI consortium to refurbish almost 1,500 properties in the Beeston Hill and Holbeck areas which will also deliver environmental and infrastructure improvements.
Garforth
We manage 1,186 properties in Garforth, split equally between family type housing and sheltered homes. Garforth is a semi-rural village area, covering the villages of Aberford, Barwick, Scholes, Micklefield and Swillington, as well as Garforth itself, with characteristics similar to those of the green belt villages of north-east Leeds. There is very strong housing demand and house prices are above the city average. Social housing is in relatively scarce supply in parts of the area and turns over very slowly. There is little other affordable housing in those areas apart from Council housing, leaving substantial levels of unmet demand. The right to buy has led to a significant loss of family houses in recent years, with over 80% of residents being homeowners, 20% higher than the average for Leeds generally. Garforth is well served by transport links, including two local rail stations and the A1/M1 link road that has helped fuel new house building, commercial and industrial growth.
Kippax
We manage 935 properties, of which 380 are sheltered. The stock is all based in the villages of Kippax, Allerton Bywater, Great Preston, Ledston and Ledston Luck. In most of the neighbourhood there is a buoyant suburban market. House prices have historically been lower than the city average but are increasing and demand for private homes is strong. Demand for social housing in the area is also very strong, exacerbated by the consistent use of right to buy. There can be tensions between local demands to recognise the need to accommodate local people, and the wider city demands for fully open allocations.
Without undergoing any major investment Kippax has adjusted well to its new status as a commuter village, like Garforth attracting residents who benefit from the A1/M1 link road, and is not the typical northern mining community in decline that the area could once have been described. However, the sense of a "mining community" lives on within the villages older residents.
Morley
Morley is a historical market town situated five miles south-west of Leeds city centre and includes the villages of Churwell, Gildersome, Drighlington, East and West Ardsley, Tingley, and Cottingley. Morley's management area is geographically very large and covers communities that can be described as town, village and inner city areas. Spread over four electoral Wards the properties managed have a mixture of Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield postcodes.
Over 3,500 properties of various sizes and types are managed and demand for homes across the area is generally high. There are pockets of extremely high demand in the town centre and village communities, however, there are some specific areas where properties experience lower demand and incidents of localised anti-social behaviour do sometimes occur. A large provider of social housing is present within the centre of Morley that specialises in housing for elderly people.
Cottingley Towers and Cottingley Heights, are two of the tallest high rise blocks in the city and are landmarks for the local area. The cultural diversity of the area is enhanced by the long history of gypsy and traveller communities connecting with the area. The area is home to Cottingley Springs, a Council managed travellers site.
Rothwell
Situated to the south east of Leeds, Rothwell also covers a large geographical area from the village communities of Methley near Castleford to Lofthouse near Wakefield. Inbetween are the villages of Oulton and Woodlesford to the north east and Robin Hood to the south west. The 1,908 properties under management are of a range of property types, from 1 bedroom flats to 5 bedroom houses. However, the bulk of homes are either family 2 and 3 bedroomed properties or sheltered housing units. Demand for all types of homes is generally high.
Some further social housing is provided by housing associations, though most new build is private with demand for development opportunities and family homes in the area high. A redevelopment of the town centre is adding to Rothwell's popularity as well as supporting the local labour market.
Like Garforth and Kippax, Rothwell has prospered from recent improvements in the transport infrastructure and has a transformed former colliery into a 50 hectare country park. The Ward of Rothwell celebrates it 600th birthday in 2008 and a year long series of events is organised to celebrate.
Swarcliffe
We manage approximately 530 properties in the White Laithe and Hebden areas and 1,400 properties on the Swarcliffe estate itself. The construction type is varied, properties are a mix of traditional and system built houses and low rise flats. Situated six miles from the city centre there is healthy demand for all types of accommodation. Sherburn Court, Swarcliffe's last remaining tower block, has been converted to sheltered housing and refurbished under the Private Finance Initiative. The remainder of the Swarcliffe stock is now being refurbished in stages and wider estate redevelopment has seen the demolition of unpopular maisonettes and high rise accommodation and the construction of 400 new family homes, some of which is new social housing. Work to regenerate the housing and fabric of East Leeds more widely has increased demand for homes in the Swarcliffe and Whinmoor areas as homes in regeneration clearance areas use this as an opportunity to stay in the East Leeds area.
Swarcliffe Housing Management Office also manages a small number of properties in the Colton, Halton Village and Crossgates area where the supply of social housing is limited, turns over very slowly and is in high demand.