An abandoned former NHS building in Leeds has been turned into a six-bedroom house, as part of a city-wide strategy to bring empty buildings into use and reduce a massive housing waiting list.
The large former council-owned property in Chapeltown was sold to Unity Housing Association, which refurbished it and let it out to a family on the Leeds Housing Register.
The Victorian detached house on Sholebroke Avenue was previously used by the NHS and has been empty since 2009.
Leeds currently has a council housing waiting list of around 27,000 people.
It was estimated earlier this year that around 15,000 homes stand empty in Leeds – with over 5,000 being empty for over six months.
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The council is currently conducting major work across Leeds to bring empty properties back into use.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive board member with responsibility for development said: “We have been undertaking a lot of work across the city with both the private and public sector to try and bring empty homes back into use.
“We are well aware of the need for more homes, and this is one excellent example of the council working with partners to offer families and people on the housing register in Leeds a good home.
“Unity Housing have done an excellent job and it is great to see a large family house opened up to a family needing the space on the housing register.”
Wayne Noteman, regeneration director at Unity Housing Association, said: “In the absence of lots of funding being available to build new homes, the increasing need for social housing and the need to bring empty properties back into use, the refurbishment of this and other properties like it shows what can be achieved when organisations work together to bring these valuable resources back into use.
“The property was built around the 1900s and is situated in a conservation area. With this in mind, a great deal of effort was made to retain as many of the original features as possible.”
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