Council to keep new flats for homeless families

Leicester City Council looks set to keep an apartment block being built as part of a new 350-home development.

The Waterside project, being delivered by the authority and Keepmoat Homes, is expected to be finished by the end of 2026, said the developer.

So far, more than 200 homes - a mixture of houses and flats - have been built, as well as public open spaces on former factory sites along the banks of the Grand Union Canal.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby is set to approve on Monday the retention of Lambert House, a block of eight two-bed flats, to be used as temporary accommodation for families who have declared themselves homeless.

In a report, officers said the property would be a "significant" contribution to the council's target to deliver 1,500 "new council, social or ed living homes" by 2027.

It added: "The city has experienced growing levels of homelessness and this, in turn, has led to a growing number of households in hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation."

The Waterside project has also included the refurbishment of the bridge connecting Soar Lane to Soar Island, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Construction of 34 homes on Soar Island is expected to be completed by the end of the year according to Keepmoat, while 53 homes will be built in the Canal Frontage phase by the end of 2026.

A "specialist care block" is also due to be developed by a third-party company with that work due to start later this year, Keepmoat said, and four commercial units are also planned.

Keepmoat said the project would be an £80m-plus investment into the regeneration of the area.

It added that the scheme would "help transform disused and neglected industrial buildings near Leicester's waterways".

Soulsby said the area had "for a long time had immense potential for regeneration" and the project will "transform Waterside into a vibrant, attractive neighbourhood in which to live and work".

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