'Woke' row erupts as UK set for first ever LGBTQ exclusive housing complex

The proposals, put forward by Great Places Housing Group, have been met with backlash.

However, campaigners said the need has never been greater and the plans comes amid a worrying surge in homophobic attack.

Great Places Housing Association executive director Helen Spencer said: "The exciting and innovative project aims to create the UK's first purpose-built and co-produced LGBTQ+ Extra Care housing scheme.

"We believe this scheme will not only meet the specific needs and aspirations of the LGBT+ community, but also enhance the diversity and vibrancy of Whalley Range as a neighbourhood."

It comes as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation are up by 112 per cent in the last five years.

Meanwhile, the Home Office has released statistics finding homophobic hate crimes ballooned by 41 per cent in 2022.

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London's first residential hub for elderly members of the LGBTQ+ community was opened by Tonic Housing overlooking Westminster last year.

Retired nurse Ong Chek Min, one of the building's first residents, told The Guardian: "'My partner, Tim, and I talked a lot about where we might spend our later years. We knew we wanted to find somewhere LGBT-friendly, where we wouldn't have to worry about discrimination and bullying"

However, Reform UK London Mayoral candidate Howard Cox Lindon called it 'virtue-signalling causes based on fashion and not need" adding that "If we go down the route of each identity group getting its own housing, we will see a more divided society."

The recent report 'No Place Like Home?' which surveyed and spoke to 260 LGBTQ residents, found that 32 per cent felt their neighbourhood was not a safe place to live in as an LGBTQ person.

Meanwhile, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe) said it has seen the "deadliest" rise in violence against gay people in a decade.

ILGA-Europe's executive director said: "We have been saying for years now that hate speech in all its forms translates into actual physical violence. This phenomenon is not only in countries where hate speech is rife, but also in countries where it is widely believed that LGBTI people are progressively accepted."

In Manchester, consultation is set to be held on January 12 between 2pm and 8pm at the site in Russell Road and again from midday to 2pm the following day.

People have until March 8 to give their views.