1700 affordable new homes for the East of England
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the national housing and regeneration delivery agency for England confirms £57m of funding to provide 1787 new homes which will house approximately 6400 people. All the new homes will start being built this financial year (2010/11), and around 20 percent will also complete this financial year.
All the homes will be built to good design standards and be sustainable. This includes having better insulation, reduced water usage, better quality fittings such as windows, and overall will be up to 44 percent more energy efficient(i). 120 will be ‘zero carbon’ - the highest industry standard.
The homes will be a variety of sizes; 1, 2, 3 & 4/5 bedroom family homes and include Supported Housing and in some areas include Gypsy and Traveller sites (ii), to cater for a wide variety of local needs, which were determined in advance by the local authority, and based on the housing needs in the local area.
John O’Mahony, Head of Strategy, Programme and Performance for the HCA in the East of England said:
“This is good news for both local residents on the housing needs register and all our partners. The £57m over the next three years enables new homes to help address the housing needs of the whole area which includes; Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex, including part of the Thames Gateway regeneration area.
Many of these housing schemes directly support the Local Investment Plans, and through housing delivery, will enable a wide variety of outcomes such as new community facilities and regeneration of local areas. We will continue to support all partners offering skills and expertise to make sure we get the best possible value for public funds.”
The HCA carried out the strategic assessment of bids supplied by Registered Providers. All bids were assessed for viability. Criteria include; Quality, Strategic Fit, Value for Money and Deliverability.
John O’Mahony continues: “We are pleased to have been able to support a variety of schemes from across the entire area all with differing needs and in different types of locations. In the current climate this is excellent news for both the local authorities and for local communities.
Highlights from counties across the East which have had allocations include:
• Bardwell, Suffolk, 318k invested, 8 homes, housing 21 people, delivered by Hastoe Housing Association
• Clitheroe Gardens, Hertfordshire, £1.514m invested, 31 homes, housing 73 people, delivered by Sanctuary Housing Association
• Colchester, £2.663m invested, 61 homes, housing 159 people, delivered by Family Mosaic
• The Carbon Challenge, Peterborough, £7.8m invested, 120 zero carbon homes, 475 people housed, delivered by Morris Homes
• Southend garage sites redevelopment, Essex (in Thames Gateway regeneration area) £1.469m invested, 39 homes, 192 people housed, Hastoe Housing Association Ltd
• 111 homes in Norwich, which includes £4m for 100 homes as part of the strategic partnership deal, and 11 homes which include one bespoke home to cater for family with disabilities.
• St Bedes School redevelopment, Bedford, £4,585m, 106 homes, housing 183 people, delivered by Orbit Housing