Housing Solicitors

Wiltshire Council has announced a £40 million housing initiative to build affordable new homes, including new retirement homes for the elderly.

The project announced on Monday (03/06/14) will involve building affordable houses and bungalows in rural areas in Wiltshire, local publisher the Gazette and Herald reports.

The initiative is phase one of a long-term housing strategy for Wiltshire, and the first stage of building is expected to last six years.

Wiltshire Council will fund its house-building scheme by reinvesting income from existing housing stock and applying for top-up government grants.

The council has 4,500 homes in Wiltshire, many of which are located close to Salisbury. However, in the first years of this decade, district councils in Wiltshire passed much of the housing stock to housing associations to manage. Wiltshire Council will work with district councils to identify rural areas suitable for the new homes – and where homes for young families or the elderly would be best located across the county.

Councillor Richard Clewer said that there was a “significant demand” for affordable housing n Wiltshire. Cllr Clewer – portfolio holder for housing – added:

“Our next step is to work with town and parish councils so we can establish what they need in terms of housing, to make sure their communities continue to be vibrant and sustainable.”

Cabinet member for housing, Cllr Keith Humphries, said that he hoped the affordable house-building programme in Wiltshire would be “ongoing”.

“Generally the funds will be from revenue from rents, which builds up – and then we use that money to replace existing stock.

“There are also one or two other grants we can apply for and others in the future, as well.

“Part of the programme is to look at building houses for older people in rural areas, to ensure as people get older they can stay in their local community,” he added.

“This may also free up larger houses, where people may want to move into smaller dwellings. Bungalows are part of the whole project, but there will be houses as well.

“You could come up with a standardised design across the county, which could be modified to fit the local environment, and that would save even more money.”

Last week, residents at Chippenham in Wiltshire met to oppose proposals for new housing at Bird’s Marsh in Chippenham, claiming that development in the area would result in traffic problems.

Residents in Marlborough have also expressed concern over plans to build new retirement apartments for the over-55s, which developers say could free up existing affordable and family housing. Wiltshire Council would benefit financially from the scheme, with the funding being reinvested in other new affordable housing schemes across the county.

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors

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