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Affordable homes for West Dorset completed as part of 20,000 new homes target (19 July 2017)

Date: 19/07/2017
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Affordable homes for West Dorset completed as part of 20,000 new homes target

West Dorset District Council has announced the completion of eight new affordable homes at Tolpuddle – including a specially adapted home – by Hastoe Housing Association.

The council invested £120,000 in the project, with the remaining funding provided by The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Hastoe Group Chief Executive Sue Chalkley said:

“We’re delighted to see our housing scheme in Tolpuddle officially open – this is yet another great example of community-led development.

“The partnership between Hastoe, the local authority and others worked really well – Hastoe takes great pride in helping rural communities thrive by building affordable, energy efficient homes for local people in perpetuity.”

West Dorset District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, Councillor Tim Yarker, added:

“Providing affordable housing for local people in our villages is an essential part of our work in maintaining the vitality of the rural economy – and delivering the right houses in the right place is an integral part of our Accelerating Home Building Programme.

“Hastoe are an invaluable partner in our quest – and this development in Tolpuddle is another example of their commitment to West Dorset’s rural housing needs.”


Recent projects completed with funding from the district council also include a community-led project, delivering six affordable homes in Toller Porcorum and nine affordable homes in Marshwood.

The council says there are a number of projects currently being constructed in West Dorset, including 15 affordable homes in Lyme Regis, in partnership with the local community land trust – and 63 units in an extra care scheme in Dorchester.

A large proportion of affordable housing is brought forward through work between Community Land Trusts.

West Dorset District Council, North Dorset District Council and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council received a total of £2 million in March 2016-2017 from the Homes and Community Agency to support Community Land Trusts.

The councils say they are keen to accelerate home building in the area – and have begun a programme to enable building 20,000 additional homes by 2033. The target is part of the Western Dorset Growth Strategy.

The councils have recently appointed an Accelerated Home Building Project Manager and Commercial Housing Enabler to facilitate achieving this target.

These appointments – alongside current council officers – will work with housing associations, private sector developers and landowners to promote housing development, said the council.

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