Winchester responding to Government housing plans
Winchester City Council’s ambitious plan to double the number of homes it is building in the next three years has received a welcome boost from the latest Government announcements.
The Government White Paper includes plans to support a major increase in building affordable homes. The City Council has already secured grant towards its plans and is now talking to Government officials to secure more funding.
With over 200 Council homes delivered or under construction since its programme began three years ago, the City Council is now determined to build a further 300 homes by 2020.
Early developments included small numbers of family homes. However, later this year, the Council will open two prestigious developments: Victoria Court, a city centre development of 27 flats, and Chesil Lodge, providing 52 flats of ‘extra care’ housing for older people with assessed care needs.
Proposals for a large development of over 70 homes in Stanmore are well-advanced, along with a number of other smaller developments.
Cllr Caroline Horrill, Leader of the City Council and Portfolio Holder for Housing Services, said:
I am really proud of the progress the Council is making on building much-needed affordable housing. We have demonstrated we are able to deliver and have clear plans for more, which puts us in a strong position to bid for more funding. I will be meeting Government officials to make our case.
With over 2,000 households on the Council’s waiting list, we simply can’t build affordable homes quickly enough. With prices so high in this area, many younger residents have little prospect of owning their home.
I welcome the announcements from the Government regarding house-building, which support the Council’s aspiration to do all it can to help those residents in the district struggling to afford housing.