Affordable homes

One of the things that I am keen to promote is affordable housing within the Wigan area and the following press release from Wigan Counci made interesting reading on this issue



Wigan is set to benefit from a £10m cash boost to build new affordable homes.

The Housing Corporation, the national body that funds social housing, has made £3.3m available to build new homes for people in need in the borough.

Cash will also be made available from other funding sources to bring the total investment in new affordable homes in Wigan up to more than £10m.

The money will be used to build 74 new homes. The largest scheme will be a development of 50 new rented homes at Durham Street, Whelley, subject to consultation and planning permission.

It will include a range of family houses and bungalows for rent, and will be developed by Adactus Housing and managed by Wigan and Leigh Housing as part of a new partnership arrangement to increase affordable rented accommodation. Work is expected to begin later this year and completed by 2010.

Council director of environmental services, Martin Kimber, says the new cash will bring even more opportunities to find homes for local people.

“This is the largest allocation received by housing providers in Wigan in the last five years and supports both Wigan and Leigh Housing and the council’s aims to increase the number of affordable homes in the borough,” says Mr Kimber.

“The proposals are part of a range of measures to ease increasing housing pressures and will see us working with both private landlords and house builders to ensure that a range of options are available.”

Welcoming the announcement, Paul Lees, Chief Executive of Adactus Housing says: “These homes will be built to high design and environmental standards and will offer quality rented accommodation at affordable prices”.

In addition, specialist housing for people with long-term disabilities, people with dementia and teenage parents will be built.

Wigan Council and Wigan and Leigh Housing have already pioneered an affordable homes scheme in the borough called Opening Doors. Working with developer Gladedale the scheme has been able to provide a number of quality affordable homes at the new Tyldesley Gin Pit Village site.

The shared equity scheme has been able to typically offer a two-bedroom apartment for just £70,174 or a modern four bedroom townhouse for as little at £87,500.