The first new homes built as part of a multi-million regeneration of Leicester’s Waterside area have been completed.
Redevelopment work began back in 2015 to bring the Waterside’s extensive former industrial areas back into use by creating new housing, office space, hotels and public open space.
As part of that, the city council is working with national housebuilder Keepmoat Homes on a 17.2-acre development, located on Frog Island.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby visited the site to see Keepmoat’s new showhome, and met with some of the the first residents who have already moved into their new homes at the development.
Overlooking the Grand Union Canal, the Waterside development includes a mix of over 350 new one and two bedroom apartments and two, three and four-bedroom homes, as well as including at least 55 affordable units. In addition to the new homes, there are public green spaces and a new canalside path opening up the waterfront, along with 60,000 sq ft of Grade A office space.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Leicester’s waterside has for a long time had immense potential for regeneration, and bringing that redevelopment forward for the benefit of the city has been a long-held ambition of mine.
“These new homes are a key part of that, and the catalyst for the surrounding waterside developments. The city council’s regeneration strategy for the city has included assembling this brownfield site using £25m of grants and council funds to compulsorily purchase run down and disused areas along the River Soar, as well as securing outline planning consent for these new homes.
“We’ve worked closely with Keepmoat Homes as our development partners to reach this important stage in making Leicester’s waterside a vibrant, attractive area in which to live and work.”
Since 2015 around 1,000 new houses and apartments have been delivered in the waterside area, along with around 1,000 student spaces, the Novotel and Adagio (200-beds), new bowling alley and over 75,000 sq ft of new office space built at Friars Mill, Great Central Square and Northgate Street.
Shaun Fielding, regional managing director at Keepmoat Homes, added: “We’re thrilled to have hosted the City Mayor and members of Leicester City Council, so that they can witness the great progress that we’ve made at Waterside and how the new housing development will provide the people of Leicester a great place to live.
“We’ve worked collaboratively with the city council and the city’s design team to create a development of bespoke houses and apartments, formed within an incredible urban layout which has already attracted potential new homeowners to the area, who will further enhance the city’s economy.”
Work at Waterside is expected to take five years to complete.
