Council helping to kickstart housing in the city

Release Date:  21-Nov-2008

126 new affordable homes will see the city council exceed its target for delivering affordable housing this year and give a much needed boost to house building in the city.

Cabinet is due to decide next Thursday on the provision of a £679,000 grant to Sovereign Housing Association so that they can purchase the 126 additional homes for letting on former prefab sites. If all goes to plan, some of these could be occupied as soon as Christmas.

Cabinet already agreed in principle to using £500k as an enabling grant from its housing revenue to assist the registered social landlord to purchase the properties from Bovis Homes, but was awaiting further detail. The report next Thursday outlines the £679,000 that will be needed for the scheme.

The new houses already built by Bovis are a mix of houses and flats for social rent in Tarnock Avenue, Hengrove; Snowberry Walk and Mallard Close, St George; and Blackswarth Road, Redfield with a total market value of around £18.2 million. Sovereign will let a number of the properties on an intermediate rent.*

The scheme will also provide a major boost to the council’s ongoing Prefab Redevelopment Project. Bovis have been struggling to sell their built properties in the current housing climate, so the sale of the 126 homes will mean they are able to keep going with the project and complete another 44 new council bungalows which are part of the prefab redevelopment.**

Cabinet member for Homes and Streetscene, Councillor Judith Price, said: “We have the opportunity to help meet the city’s growing demand for affordable homes and social housing, thus benefiting our most vulnerable and needy citizens. The proposal also shows our continued support and belief in our Prefab Redevelopment programme and will ensure Bovis can keep delivering essential new homes in what are very tough times for the housing market.”

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In addition to this scheme, Cabinet will also be asked to consider further funding from the housing revenue account to carry out other essential works across the city:

• - £500,000 is needed over the next two years to improve access for disabled and elderly residents at communal areas in council accommodation.
• - £2 million over the next two years is being asked for to provide external wall insulation to two or three council tower blocks that currently have no wall insulation. This will improve the thermal performance of the blocks by around four times and will benefit many families by improving their comfort and reducing energy bills.

A schedule of proposed works and locations for both of these schemes will be presented to the Cabinet Member for Homes & Streetscene for approval at a later date.

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