Work has begun on upgrading the original Ida building within the old Cookridge Hospital campus in Leeds which has stood derelict for several years.
Construction and building services firm Esh Construction is transforming the Grade II-listed building into a 64-bed space that will offer housing and extra care for the residents of this part of North Leeds.
Stuart Leslie, Divisional Director for Esh Living in Yorkshire said: “This project is re-establishing an important part of the Yorkshire community which has been standing unused for too long. It will give Leeds’s community a bit of history back.”
Esh has committed to a significant social value package ensuring that, while the important construction work is carried out, students at the nearby school and residents will not be adversely affected. Esh employees have already begun their engagement with the local community, in particular the Lighthouse School, with the intention of taking the students and staff through the construction journey, providing many learning opportunities along the way.
The project is just one more example of how Esh is providing much-needed extra care resources to the region as well as developing its profile across the Yorkshire region. The firm is currently on site with an extra care housing project for Places for People in Nunsthorpe, Grimsby, which 60 bed spaces will be created.
Esh is also currently contracted on projects for Wakefield Council, Bradford Council, Rotherham Council, Yorkshire Housing and Unity Housing, Leeds Federation Housing, Together Housing and Housing & Care 21.
This project is re-establishing an important part of the Yorkshire community which has been standing unused for too long. It will give Leeds’s community a bit of history back.”