New homes at old factory site

For nearly 100 years it was the site of sock manufacturing in Leicester. Now the Abbey Meadows area of the city will be transformed into an 82 new home development.

We’ve worked in close partnership with Lovells and GS Residential to bring the project to fruition and will be offering 47 new affordable homes from mid 2021.*

These two, three and four bedroom family homes will be available for affordable rent and shared ownership.

It’s a welcome development of an area of the city that has stood derelict for two decades. Formerly the site of the 2.5 acre Wolsey factory and headquarters, the original chimney has been preserved and still dominates the skyline, a legacy of the area’s past.

Sitting between the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal, the new homes will be in a great location, within walking distance of Abbey Park and the city centre.

The Mayor of Leicester, Peter Soulsby met with Allan Fisher, Director of Development and Assets at NCHA and Chris Timmins, Area Director at Lovells in September to mark the start of work at the site. He’s delighted to see the site finally being put to use: “I’m very pleased to welcome this development at Abbey Meadows, where it will complement the extensive regeneration work we are doing along Leicester’s waterside, as well as providing much needed affordable homes and helping to encourage further investment in the area.”

Allan Fisher said: “The pandemic has been the cause of many project delays, including this new development for Leicester. It’s great that building work can now begin, and we’re looking forward to the completion of these new affordable homes for people in the city. Our thanks go to our partners Lovell and GS Residential, for their continued dedication to the project, despite the recent setbacks.”

The £10m scheme has been designed by RG+P architects and is being built by Lovells. The site is due for completion in 2021.

*The remaining 35 homes will be available for outright sale from GS Residential.