SOCIAL housing provider Incommunities has announced plans to build 22 affordable family homes on the sites of two former fire stations in the district.

The plans will see the former Shipley and Idle fire stations demolished, and replaced with 11 homes on each.

The family-sized properties will be built on the former Shipley station site in Saltaire Road, and the former Idle site in Highfield Road.

The mix of two and three-bedroom homes will be available for shared ownership, for rent through the government’s Rent to Buy scheme, and also for sale outright.

On the Shipley site, the homes have been designed sympathetically to complement the nearby village of Saltaire, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The old fire station buildings have already been demolished, with the stations merging at a new fire station in Valley Road.

Every home will come with a fully fitted kitchen and bathrooms, energy efficient central heating, off-street parking spaces and landscaped surrounds.

Building work will begin on the sites this month.

Geraldine Howley, chief executive of Incommunities, said: “We are delighted to be getting this exciting development off the ground which will provide a nice balance of homes for rent, shared ownership and for sale.

“The development is the result of a welcome partnership with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and funding support from the national housing and regeneration agency, Homes England.

“Everyone is looking forward to delivering more great homes for local people, as part of our programme to complete over 120 houses in 2018.”

David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, was on hand to help out with breaking ground at the site in Shipley.

He said: “I would like to commend Incommunities, the fire service and Homes England who have worked together to bring forward this development.

“New affordable homes are what the country so desperately needs so it’s a pleasure to see all parties being bold for the benefit of local people and our communities.”

Both the Shipley and Idle developments will be managed in-house by Lumia Home - the development arm of Incommunities - and the contractor is West Yorkshire-based Jack Lunn Group.

Following the opening of the £4.5 million fire station in Valley Road in May last year, demolition work on the two sites began in June last year, after which the sites were handed over to Incommunities, which said it would start construction work on the sites by Spring 2018.

When the start date was announced, there had been complaints from some residents concerning the fact construction work hadn’t started despite Incommunities being in charge of the sites since September.

The fire station in Shipley had been in operation for 40 years before it closed down and was razed to the ground, and the Idle station had been open since 1956.