Residents’ relief after their sheltered housing complex is saved from the bulldozer

Beluah Court residents have spent more than a year worrying that the complex was to be mothballed by Wakefield District Housing (WDH), forcing them to find a new home.

WDH had previously said there was a decline in residents and interest in the site and were therefore reviewing its future, sparking fears among those still living there.

Residents also said that WDH was not listing any of the complex’s empty flats on its website, arousing further suspicions.

But the company has now announced they will invest £3 million in the site.

Lynne Greaves, whose mother has lived at Beluah Court for the past three years, said: “Everybody is absolutely ecstatic about the news, it’s been a long drawn-out process. We were in tears when they told us.

“We’re just so glad that they have decided to invest.”

Mick Walsh, director of housing at WDH, said they looked at demand, as well as other recently-improved schemes, along with the regeneration in Knottingley, before making their final decision.

He added: “We needed to be confident that these would be homes where people would continue to want to live.

“In recent years we have improved a number of our independent living schemes across the district, investing around £53 million to date.

“The investment in Beulah Court is likely to be around £3 million and will see the scheme transformed into a modern, desirable place to live, where residents feel safe and part of a community.

“We are still looking at plans for the scheme and will be consulting with residents throughout the improvement process.”