WORK to build 38 low-carbon, energy-efficient council homes on the site of Leicester’s former velodrome is now under way.
The city council has contracted Lovell Partnerships to deliver the £14m scheme on the brownfield site off Saffron Lane.
All 38 of the new homes on the 1.4-hectare plot – including eight bungalows that will be fully wheelchair-accessible – are expected to be available to people on the city council's housing register from autumn 2025.
The new homes will incorporate a range of energy efficiency measures, including triple glazing, air source heat pumps and solar panels. Contrasting coloured brickwork will give the properties an attractive, contemporary appearance, while each home will have a private rear garden.
Deputy city mayor for housing, economy and neighbourhoods Cllr Elly Cutkelvin said: “Brownfield sites, such as this one, have huge potential to be brought back into use to benefit local people, so I’m pleased that this scheme is now progressing and these much-needed new homes will soon be taking shape.
“We’re very proud to be working with Lovell Partnerships to regenerate this key site with 38 high-quality, energy-efficient, new council homes.”
Before the new homes could be built, extensive land remediation work was required, with the council successfully bidding for more than £700,000 from the government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund (Round 2) (BLRF2) to prepare the derelict site for residential development.
Beth Bundonis, regional managing director for Lovell Partnerships, East Midlands, said: “Utilising brownfield sites is vital to the growth of housing stock in the East Midlands region and an area of expertise that we’re excited to leverage for the benefit of local people.
“With the help of Leicester City Council and the Brownfield Land Release Fund, we’re proud to be part of this project, which is set to revitalise the once derelict velodrome area through affordable and environmentally-friendly homes.”
Leicester City Council was awarded £713,435 by BLRF2 to help it deliver the scheme. While the award funded the remediation works for the site, most of the scheme’s costs – around £13m – will be met by the city council through prudential borrowing and Right to Buy receipts.
The 38 new homes are part of an ambitious programme to deliver 1,500 new council, social and Extra Care/Supported Living dwellings in Leicester by March 2027. Leicester City Council’s housing stock currently comprises 19,500 homes.
Photo caption: An artist’s impression of the new homes that will soon be taking shape at the former velodrome site in Leicester.