Work begins on new affordable housing in Wakefield city centre

Work has begun to transform the site of the former Chantry House building on Kirkgate in the centre of Wakefield into 50 new affordable homes.  

The Chantry House scheme will re-use land that is currently vacant and will help create the proposed Kirkgate Gateway into the city centre, supporting Wakefield Council’s regeneration plans to turn the city into a culturally vibrant place to live, work and play and achieve a fairer future for all.

There will be 26 town houses and 24 apartments for affordable rent and shared ownership built on the site, which will be owned and managed by WDH, and are expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Yorkshire-based Caddick Construction were appointed as main contractor through the EN:Procure New Build Framework, which is designed to ensure an efficient and reliable procurement route for social housing providers to deliver affordable new housing across Northern England. Caddick Civil Engineering were also appointed to deliver remediation and groundworks. The scheme will also add social value by providing 5 full time training opportunities for local people.

Wakefield Council began preparing the site for development in 2020. After the Chantry House building was demolished, temporary greening was added to the area.    The Council has also supported WDH by providing a grant to fill the viability gap to build these homes, using Section 106 commuted sums. This is where developers pay a one-off contribution in lieu of onsite provision of affordable housing so it can be built in other areas of the district (subject to any restrictions).

Cllr Michael Graham, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Growth, said: “I am really pleased to see work beginning on this site.

“Good quality housing is the foundation for economic growth and the priority is for Wakefield to have a high-quality housing offer that meets our residents’ needs.

“The Chantry House site is part of our plans to deliver more, better and affordable homes in our district. It is so important to us to create and provide places for people to live and be proud to call home.

“We want to encourage people to come and live and work in Wakefield. Creating vibrant communities which will provide a real boost to our local businesses and high street.

“The Kirkgate area is a key gateway into the city centre, and this is the next vital step in our regeneration plans.”

Steve Ford, Regional Managing Director for Caddick Construction Yorkshire & North East, comments: “As a Wakefield-based business, we are proud to have been selected as main contractor and civil engineering partner on this new neighbourhood for Wakefield Council and WDH. We have 40 years of experience building high-quality projects across the region, and in that time we’ve also developed a reliable and local supply chain network that we will enlist the expertise of at Chantry House.”

Joel Owen, Service Director for Development at WDH, said:  “We’re excited to be working in partnership with Wakefield Council to transform the centre of Wakefield and provide much needed high quality affordable homes. Investing in our communities is a key priority for WDH and by transforming the former Chantry House site, we’re breathing new life into the city centre creating a new, vibrant community enabling better futures for our customers.”

Emma Mottram, Director of Operations at EN:Procure said: “We’re proud to work with WDH, one of the founding members of Efficiency North, who have a strong and impressive record of high quality, affordable housing, to further increase housing capacity and quality for local people. Our new build frameworks are developed to ensure efficient, reliable procurement is accessible for members delivering affordable housing. Caddick were appointed via a Direct Selection and have proactively worked with WDH and the Design Team to de-risk the project and achieve the client’s viability aspirations in a challenging market, whilst still contributing to the local economy and delivering vibrant high-quality homes. It’s fantastic to see this achieved on this scheme plus the added value of five apprenticeships.”

This project will complement other new housing projects already underway in the city centre, including work to transform the former police station on Wood Street and to deliver new mews style family homes on the site of the former Rishworth Street Car Park.