Lives to be transformed in £9.45 million deal for 67 affordable homes

Lives are set to be transformed after Canterbury City Council agreed a deal to buy 67 affordable homes worth £9.45 million.

The homes, built by Barratt David Wilson Homes at The Woodlands development in Herne Bay Road, Broad Oak, will be made available at affordable rents for local families from the district who are on the council’s housing waiting list.

They include 10 one-bedroom flats, 24 two-bedroom flats, four two-bedroom houses and 29 three-bedroom houses at an average price of £141,000 per home.

Cllr Pip Hazelton, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Built to high industry standards, these one and two-bedroom flats and two and three-bedroom houses will be highly energy efficient, providing homes that will be warm and cosy with low maintenance costs for many years to come.

“It is no secret that our ambition is to provide social housing at affordable rent that people will be proud to live in and to call home.

“And it is no exaggeration to say this acquisition will transform dozens and dozens of lives.

“Research tells us a secure, warm, well-maintained home, has a positive impact on physical and mental health, higher levels of economic activity and greater community involvement.

“This will be our first step along the road to overhauling our housing stock across the short, medium and longer term.

“By disposing of some of our non-standard stock, along with properties that, even with high levels of retro fitting and remedial costs, will remain dated, we can reinvest in more new homes like these.

“This will boost the quantity and quality of council homes and help to provide somewhere to live for local people.”

Barratt David Wilson Homes says The Woodlands been designed with nature in mind, and, in a nod to Canterbury author Mary Tourtel, the road names at The Woodlands will have a Rupert Bear theme.

William Walsh, Managing Director for Barratt David Wilson Kent, said: “Working closely with councils plays a vital role in addressing the urgent need for more affordable homes in the community.

“Housebuilders have the experience and expertise to deliver new homes at a scale and speed that can’t be easily achieved through other means and, crucially, ensure a number of residents will have access to safe and affordable housing options.

“This agreement, which will see Canterbury City Council take on 67 homes at The Woodlands, is another step closer to delivering essential housing for the local community.”

Once complete, the development will comprise 15.8 acres of green open space, including trim trails and play areas, and the developer has committed to planting more than 150 new trees and nearly 14,000 hedgerows and saplings, alongside creating 10,000 metres of hedgehog highways.

The homes will be paid for by a combination of capital receipts, the selling of unsuitable homes, and borrowing which will be repaid by the income from rents – a tried and tested way to finance a purchase like this.

Published: 8 July 2024