WORK starts this week to prepare land in Bradford for the construction of new homes within the £150m New Bolton Woods urban village development.

Funded through a £3.6m grant from the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1bn package of government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs – the preparation works will mean faster delivery of properties on the 5.66 hectare site.

Construction teams will tackle flooding and drainage issues and work to overcome potential building difficulties caused by steep slopes. Without the Growth Deal investment from West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the land would have been more difficult and expensive to develop for housing.

The overall plan, promoted by Canal Road Urban Village Ltd (CRUVL), a joint venture development company established by Bradford Council and private developers Urbo Regeneration Ltd, is to grow a sustainable residential neighbourhood. CRUVL is working with house-builder Keepmoat Homes who will build this phase of the development. Keepmoat is providing the remaining £21.2m funding for this phase.

Work on infrastructure is expected to be complete this August, when the site will be ready for the 145 new properties to be built. These will include 18 four-bed, 107 three-bed and 20 two-bed homes, plus parking for 290 cars. A road linking Poplars Park Road and Stanley Road, currently fenced off, will be reinstated. Construction on site is expected to be completed in 2021.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and leader of Bradford Council said: “While West Yorkshire’s undulating and often spectacular geography and views are distinct bonuses for people who live and work here, they can also pose costly challenges for house building. This is particularly the case on sites needing new infrastructure.

“The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is tackling this head on in Bradford and beyond by investing in preparing land to speed up the building of new homes. This will ensure our awe-inspiring landscape and industrial heritage are selling points for our communities and not hindrances to our success.”

Local Growth and Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry, said: “Working in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Government growth deal funding is delivering regeneration across the region, whilst building the homes this country needs in a rapidly growing Northern Powerhouse economy.”

Peter Swallow, Managing Director of CRUVL said: “We are delighted to see the next phase of our New Bolton Woods project coming forward, working with our partners Keepmoat Homes. This will provide much-needed new housing locally as part of the regional strategic plan for sustainable development.”

Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said: “By investing in housing infrastructure, we are preparing the ground not only for developers to build new houses but also for future economic growth for all where local people can benefit from better homes, improved access to jobs and a better quality of life.”