Legal News

The government has announced that thousands of starter homes are to be built specifically for those aged 23 to 40.

Housing Minister Gavin Barwell said the homes would be sold to first-time buyers with a 20% discount on the market value.

The first wave of 30 local authority partnerships – selected on the basis of their potential for early delivery – will spearhead schemes, funded by the government’s £1.2 billion Starter Homes Land Fund, which supports the development of starter homes on sites across England.

The new developments will also support the wider growth and regeneration of local areas, including some town centre sites.

The first developers will begin construction later this year, along with sites supported by the Homes and Communities Agency.

Housing Minister Gavin Barwell said:

“This government is committed to building Starter Homes to help young, first-time buyers get on the housing ladder.

“This first wave of partnerships shows the strong local interest to build thousands of Starter Homes on hundreds of brownfield sites in the coming years – one in three councils has expressed an interest to work with us so far.”

The Starter Homes Land Fund was set up to prepare suitable land for quality starter home developments, which can be built on by developers or through accelerated construction by 2020.

Each local authority partnership will work closely with the Homes and Communities Agency, to identify and take forward further land opportunities for the fund, says the government.

In addition, the Homes and Communities Agency has also issued a call for expressions of interest from local authorities interested in using their land to deliver homes at pace, through the £1.7bn accelerated construction recently announced.

This will see up to 15,000 homes started on surplus public sector land this Parliament.

The Homes and Communities Agency received 79 expressions of interest from 120 local authorities across the country outside London, many involving joint submissions, in response to the Starter Homes: unlocking the land fund prospectus.

The £1.2bn Starter Home Land Fund was established in April 2016, to support the acquisition, remediation and de-risking of further suitable land for starter home developments.

Some 71 sites across the country have already received investments, including land at: Plymouth, Bury, Basildon, Stockport, Bridgwater, Cinderford, Minehead, Bristol, Trafford, Isle of Wight, South Ribble and Swindon.

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors

Duncan Lewis housing solicitors can advise on a wide range of housing law, including advising developers and self builders on planning permissions and planning appeals.

There are Duncan Lewis offices across England and Wales and our housing team is also able to advise on:

• Debt management for homeowners


• Disrepair of rented property


• Housing Benefits


• Housing possession


• Landlords’ obligations


• Landlord and tenant disputes


• Lease extensions


• Local Authority housing


• Mortgage repossession


• Notice to quit


• Nuisance neighbours


• Right to Buy


• Right to Rent checks


• Tenancy agreements


• Unlawful eviction.