Contractor lands £82m Leeds build-to-rent job

Kent-headquartered RG Group has won an £82m contract to deliver a 488-home build-to-rent scheme in Leeds.

Work on the project, called Latitude Blue, located in a mixed-use neighbourhood on a former iron and steelworks on the edge of the city centre, is to start immediately.

Hub, the client that also developed a neighbouring project called Latitude Purple, said the scheme, just off Whitehall Road, would promote the wider development of the area.

The scheme was acquired by the developer, in partnership with Bridges Fund Management, in 2021 and was granted full planning permission last year.

An £108m forward-funding deal has been struck with Canadian real estate investment company Realstar to deliver the scheme, which is expected to be completed in 2025.

Designed by architects Carey Jones Chapman Tolcher, it will deliver a mixture of accommodation, including 219 one-, 224 two- and 45 three-bedroom homes, as well as car parking, cycle spaces, new landscaping and shared communal amenity space at the ground floor.

The project also includes improvements to the public realm, taking advantage of the nearby canal, as well as improving pedestrian and cycle access to the city centre.

RG Group director Chris Lambourn said: “Hub is a developer we greatly admire, with a fantastic track record for delivering high-quality homes in great locations.

“Latitude Blue adds to our portfolio of projects across the city, where we have been working on high-quality living developments for several years.”