Social housing provider WDH has secured £30 million from NatWest to fund green improvements across thousands of homes in Wakefield and wider Yorkshire as part of its long-term sustainability strategy.

The investment is part of a £300 million funding package supporting WDH’s ambitious growth plans, including new affordable housing developments and major retrofit upgrades to existing properties. The improvements will include heat pumps, solar panels, and energy-efficient retrofits, helping residents cut energy costs while contributing to the UK’s carbon reduction targets.

Neil Warren, Executive Director of Resources at WDH, said:
“Supporting our customers to live in safe, warm homes is our number one priority. This funding is going to help us to do that for even more people. Our customers face increasing financial pressures so anything we can do to support them to reduce their bills through the use of energy efficient solutions, whilst working toward our carbon reduction targets and maintaining high quality assets is fantastic.”

WDH owns and manages over 32,000 properties across Wakefield, Yorkshire, the Humber, and North Lincolnshire. The housing provider is one of the first to access NatWest’s new Housing Green Retrofit Loan (HGRL), which is aimed at helping the social housing sector meet climate goals.

David Horne, Relationship Director Real Estate Finance at NatWest, said:
“We recognise that we have an important role to play in supporting social housing providers like WDH with the specialist funding they need to deliver on their green priorities while creating new affordable housing. It’s clear that WDH are committed to improving their housing stock by making properties sustainable in the long-term while meeting the housing needs of their tenants and we are delighted to play our part in helping them realise their ambitions.”

Boost For Yorkshire’s Housing & Construction Sector

WDH is actively expanding its housing portfolio, with a major 207-apartment development in Leeds nearing completion. The scheme, which recently marked its topping out milestone, will include a mix of one-to-four-bedroom apartments, along with 200 cycle spaces to encourage sustainable travel.

The organisation is also partnering with local contractors and suppliers to complete its retrofit and new-build projects, ensuring that Yorkshire-based businesses benefit from the investment.

NatWest has announced a £5bn commitment to funding social housing projects across the UK by 2026, with Yorkshire set to play a key role in the bank’s green investment strategy.