South Village Leeds Gets £16m Grant as Caddick Breaks Ground

South Village Leeds receives £16m Homes England infrastructure grant at UKREiiF as Caddick Group begins works on the 2 million sq ft South Bank neighbourhood with 1,925 homes and a village green

Homes England has announced a £16 million infrastructure grant for South Village Leeds, the 1,925-home neighbourhood being developed by Caddick Group on Leeds’ South Bank. The funding, revealed at UKREiiF this week, will allow Caddick to progress vital infrastructure works including roads, footpaths, cycleways, utilities, and significant green space on the ten-acre brownfield site just off Meadow Road. South Village Leeds is a 2 million sq ft mixed-use scheme with outline planning permission for up to 1,925 homes alongside 650,000 sq ft of commercial space and landscaped areas centred around a village green the size of a professional sports field. Infrastructure works are now getting under way.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Nearly 2,000 new homes on a brownfield site five minutes from the city centre will change how south Leeds connects to the rest of the city; new roads, cycleways, and green corridors where derelict land sits today. For Leeds businesses, 650,000 sq ft of commercial space creates capacity the city centre needs. The construction programme will generate jobs and local supply chain spend through Caddick. South Village also strengthens Leeds’ case for New Town designation, unlocking further government funding across the wider South Bank.

What South Village Leeds Will Deliver

Designed by SimpsonHaugh Architects, South Village will offer a range of homes for professionals, families, empty nesters, and students, with buildings up to 45 storeys. The scheme received unanimous approval from Leeds City Council’s City Plans Panel in March 2024, where it was praised as having the potential to change this part of the city altogether. More than half the site is set aside for landscaped space, including the central village green and new pedestrian connections extending green corridors across the city centre. Lee Savage, director at Caddick and project lead for South Village, said the Homes England funding marks a major milestone, enabling the team to move decisively into delivery. The infrastructure works now under way are significant in both scale and complexity and will lay the foundations for the new neighbourhood.

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“The funding from Homes England marks a major milestone for South Village and Caddick’s aspirations for the Leeds’ South Bank, enabling us to move decisively into delivery. The infrastructure works now getting underway are significant in both scale and complexity and will lay the foundations for the new neighbourhood.”

— Lee Savage, Director, Caddick Developments

From City One to South Village

South Village was originally known as City One before being rebranded when planning permission was granted. The site is a former industrial brownfield plot between Sweet Street and Meadow Road in Holbeck, close to the River Aire and the city centre. Caddick first signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Homes England at UKREiiF in 2024 to accelerate the scheme. Two years later, the £16 million grant has turned that commitment into funded delivery. Council leader James Lewis said the momentum across the South Bank is clear, with ongoing works at Elland Road and now progress at South Village transforming the area into a vibrant destination. South Village is one of several nationally significant projects within the South Bank, alongside the Royal Armouries Tiltyard, Aire Park, the Elland Road masterplan, and the prospective British Library North at Temple Works.