£750k transformation of former Victorian house provides affordable homes in Settle

Ilkley-based Dobson Construction has completed the £750k refurbishment of Sutcliffe Buildings in Settle, North Yorkshire.

Designed by Leeds-based architects Woodhall Planning and Conservation, the building has been transformed into nine apartments for affordable rent following a six month-long project.

Leeds & Yorkshire Housing Association (LYHA) has officially opened the new building, which will provide much-needed homes for the town.

The new homes were unveiled by Lisa Pickard, chief executive of LYHA and Paul Shevlin, chief executive of Craven District Council.

The refurbishment has renovated the Grade-II Listed Sutcliffe Buildings, owned by LYHA since 1952.

The nine modern apartments - six one-bedroom and three two-bedroom - combine Victorian architecture and modern day living and have high levels of energy-efficiency.

This refurbishment was designed through a partnership with Woodhall Planning and Conservation part of Acanthus WSM, which redesigned the buildings and supported LYHA and project partners to achieve planning and Listed Building Consent.

The project was part-funded with a grant of £112k from the Homes and Communities Agency and a £60k ‘empty homes’ funding grant from Craven District Council.

Lisa Pickard, chief executive of LYHA, said: “The easy option would have been to sell Sutcliffe Buildings. It no longer provided homes that we were proud of and was expensive to maintain. However, at LYHA we believe in investing in and adding value to existing communities.

“We know what impact the loss of housing and historical buildings has in rural places like Settle. We know that local people depend on having access to affordable housing to enable them to stay living and working in the area.

“We therefore made the bold decision to invest more than we had originally planned knowing that the financial and social return in the long term would be worth it. We had a clear vision for this building; a building that many people thought couldn’t be restored.

“We have achieved this vision by working with a fantastic range of partners who have enabled us to preserve the history and legacy of this historic family home. In doing so we have also increased the number of affordable and social homes available, supported Craven District Council with their housing strategy and created homes that are beautiful; fit-for-purpose now and into the future.”

James Rushton, director of Dobson Construction Ltd, added: “This major refurbishment project has seen Sutcliffe Buildings fully transformed both inside and out thanks to investment by Leeds & Yorkshire Housing Association.

“The appearance of the building has been greatly enhanced by the exterior works undertaken to the benefit of the surrounding area. Sutcliffe Buildings is now well-equipped to provide Settle with much-needed homes for years to come.”

There are currently 547 people on Craven District Council’s housing waiting list, with 92 registering an interest in the Settle and Ribblesbank ward. The National Housing Federation’s Home Truths¹ report shows that over the next 20 years in the Yorkshire region alone, there will be 369,000 new households created, but at current building rates, there will be a shortfall of 200,000 homes by 2031.

LYHA has set a 20% growth target to provide a further 250 new homes by the end of 2018 in the Yorkshire region.

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