TWO of the UK’s leading homebuilders have completed the purchase of land in the Eccleshill area of Bradford after a Joint Venture between the Bradford Council and Hard York Quarries assembled the 58-acre site on Harrogate Road.

The Fagley site, which will see the creation of 589 homes, will be jointly developed by Keepmoat Homes and Barratt Homes Yorkshire West and marks the first partnership agreement between the two businesses.

A planning application for the scheme was approved in 2018, with development to include a mix of two and three bedroom homes for first-time buyers alongside larger four bedroom detached family homes.

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As part of the development, both developers will be engaging with local schools and education providers to offer site visits, work experience and health and safety information. Keepmoat Homes will also be launching a Social and Economic Investment Fund to support the project, which will invest in local community organisations, charities and projects which will positively impact the local area.

In addition to this, Barratt Homes Yorkshire West will be spending more than £1 million toward extensive improvement on Fagley Lane and Harrogate Road, adjacent to the site. The housebuilder will also be helping to create a new multi-use games area for St Luke’s Primary School.

Gary Chambers, regional director at Keepmoat Homes, said: “We’re delighted to have completed the purchase of this site on Harrogate Road in Bradford, this is one of the largest housing sites in West Yorkshire and offers a fantastic opportunity to deliver the new homes which the region needs. We’re also pleased to be working in partnership with Barratt Homes Yorkshire West to be delivering the site, in our first partnership agreement with the firm.

“At Keepmoat we’re committed to developing homes that support first time buyers and this site will feature approximately 311 homes specifically designed for that market as well as homes aimed at those buyers looking to up-size.”

Ian Ruvthen, managing director of Barratt Homes Yorkshire West, said: “We’re excited to be partnering with Keepmoat and reinventing a brownfield site to provide much-needed housing in Bradford. As part of the project, we’ll also be able to help support the surrounding community - something we’re extremely passionate about here at Barratt. We can’t wait to see the development get underway and help prospective buyers find their dream homes.”

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “The Council is very pleased to be part of this exciting project which is a great example of how the public and private sectors can work in partnership to deliver joint objectives for the benefit of the Bradford District. In developing this major housing scheme, Keepmoat and Barratt Homes have shown confidence in Bradford and I look forward to seeing them make swift progress in providing an excellent range of good quality new homes for local people.”

Mike Dove, of Leeds-based property consultancy Dove Haigh Phillips, who advised Hard York Quarries and Bradford Council, said: “This is an excellent example of the private sector working successfully with the public sector to deliver a powerful regeneration scheme. This joint venture deal involved a complex land assembly process to ensure that one of the most famous old quarries in Yorkshire has been developed to accommodate a major housing scheme.

“Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Hard York Quarries LLP must be congratulated in delivering a project which will create quality housing in the Bradford District. Dove Haigh Phillips were proud to advise the joint venture partnership and to help this deal reach a successful conclusion.”

Work started on site in April and will run until 2025, with the first show home opening in winter 2019.