First residents move into Sugar Hill
17 February 2025
I’ve been on this estate all my life and we’ve all been really good friends; everyone loves living here. It’s been good to make the move all together, with people you know and get along with.
When the first residents moved into their new homes at Sugar Hill, it was a ‘landmark’ in many senses. It marked the first homes being completed on the estate – but more than that, it marked a restoration in trust which we had committed to two years earlier.
The ten households who moved into new homes at the end of 2024 were those on assured tenancies on the original estate of 70 homes.
They had lived there for decades but had been left in limbo for many years by their former landlord, a private investor who bought the estate as a long-term investment with the intention of gaining planning permission to redevelop the homes for private sale.
I well recall one of the first conversations I had when we acquired the development in September 2022.
I suggested to the resident that his trust in Leeds Federated was zero on a scale of 1 to 10. I told him our aim was to increase this level of trust to be nearer 10. The response was clear, ‘you’re not at zero Dan, you’re at -10’.
We had a mountain to climb and it marked the start of a journey of engagement shaped by meetings between residents, the principal contractor, Termrim, and us.
Through consultation with the 10 households, residents chose which plot would be their new home. We created 4 new streets and these were named by the 10 households, which helped foster a sense of ownership of their new neighbourhood.
Above all we wanted to ensure the new homes were fit for purpose for each household and that residents would be comfortable living in their new homes from day 1. As part of this, we arranged occupational therapist assessments so aids and adaptations, including stairlifts and level access showers, could be incorporated into the build. Residents also chose individual design options for their own kitchens and bathrooms.
Their new houses are fresh and with every benefit that makes up a modern home. They have energy saving measures in place to minimise energy costs, such as the installation of solar panels. At the same time, we are supporting the UK’s journey to net zero as they are built to high energy efficiency standards, each achieving a minimum EPC-B rating, with several of the homes that have so far been completed holding an EPC-A rating.
We are also actively engaging with the wider community and set up a web page providing timely updates. We gave children at a local youth centre the opportunity to design a piece of artwork for the development, which is displayed on the site hoardings.
We worked with Leeds City Council and the ‘Save our Homes’ resident campaign group on a Local Lettings Policy which was agreed in autumn/ winter 2024. This policy enables former residents who were evicted from the development due to the unsecure nature of their tenancies (prior to Leeds Federated’s involvement) to have the opportunity to move into the new homes. It supports our aim of establishing trust with the wider community, it also acknowledged the long-term friendships and local connections that have spanned decades for some in the community.
We’re now planning to work with residents and a sculptor to design and build a piece of permanent artwork out of wall panels salvaged from the old homes. This will create a further sense of ownership for the residents, with a clear link back to the history of the site.
The residents moving into their new homes and the positive feedback we received gave me a feeling of pride in what’s been achieved. I also reflect on the relationship I’d developed with each household, and that it was not merely a transactional relationship but one where I’d been given an insight into their lives and what a home and community meant and means to them.
So the words of Irene Connell, who moved back in December 2024, mean a lot to me: She said: “I’ve been on this estate all my life and we’ve all been really good friends; everyone loves living here. It’s been good to make the move all together, with people you know and get along with. I’ve been really happy with how Leeds Federated and Termrim have handled things for us.”