More Council Houses to be built

Kevin Price Labours Executive Councillor for housing has applauded Cambridge City Council’s Planning Committee for granting consent for nine new council houses to be built on a garage site in Hawkins Road.

These new council houses will form part of the council’s ‘146 Programme’ to build 146 new council homes in Cambridge by the end of March 2015.

Seven of the homes at Hawkins Road will be one- and two-bedroom homes, which are of greatest need in the city.

Kevin said: “I am delighted that the Planning Committee has given approval for this much needed scheme which will provide high quality homes on an underused site.

“Using Right to Buy receipts rather than government grant to develop them also frees our hands from the government’s affordable rent programme, which ties rents to up to 80% of private rent levels.

“Our Cambridge social rent programme means that these homes will be truly affordable in high priced Cambridge. We will continue to review small sites like these and all options for self-funding to tackle the housing and cost crisis in the city.”

3-10-14

LABOUR’S PROMISE TO BUILD NEW COUNCIL HOMES MOVES CLOSER  (24-9-14)

In Labour’s election campaign their Manifesto pledged to build more council houses. Now in line with that promise Cambridge City Council is set to join forces with a Cambridge University college and developers, on a project to build much-needed new social housing in the city.

The scheme, on land owned by Homerton College adjacent to the railway off Harrison Drive (which is earmarked for residential development in the current Local Plan), will see 97 new homes built on the site, 39 of which will be social housing for the council. The planned social housing is set to be approved by the Housing Scrutiny Committee on 30 September.

Homerton College has selected Hill as their developer partner, and both in turn have agreed for the council to provide the social housing. An outline planning approval is in place for the scheme and Hill is due to submit a detailed planning application in October.

Cllr Kevin Price, Executive Councillor for Housing said: “We are very pleased to be working with Homerton College and Hill on this scheme, which is the first for us to come forward on land not owned by the council. It will deliver badly needed housing both for those on the council waiting list and those looking to get a first step on the housing ladder through shared ownership.

“We are ensuring that a significant proportion are one- and two-bedroom homes, as the demand for smaller homes is so high in the city.

“We will be funding the site chiefly through Right to Buy receipts, which means that we can set the rent levels ourselves as part of our Cambridge Social Rent Programme.

“We will also continue to press for changes to government grant funding for social housing to recognise that the national Affordable Rent scheme linking grant to rents of up to 80% of market rent is unaffordable for so many in Cambridge.”

This project is the first in the next phase of the council’s Social Housing Programme, and will be notable for being the first in the city to see social housing being built on a site that is not owned by the council.

The project with Homerton College and Hill is part of the council’s ongoing plan to build new council homes and improve existing properties. In total, 28 new council homes have been completed since 2010 and 125 more are currently being built. Additional sites have been identified that could see around 300 new council homes built over the next four years.

Below Councillor Price Executive Councillor for Housing, The People’s Mayor (Gerri Bird) and Councillor Blencowe Executive Councillor for Planning