Shipston to get more than two dozen affordable homes
23/12/2008
Stratford-on-Avon District Council East Area Planning Committee approved the application at its meeting on Tuesday, December 16th.
A total of 26 homes will be built on land off London Road and an access road will be constructed. The existing footpath along London Road towards Shipston will be widened to two metres as part of the work.
The development will comprise 18 two bed houses, four three bed houses, two four bed houses and two three bed bungalows. They will be a mixture of detached, semi detached and terraced properties.
22 will be for rent and the remaining four will be available for shared ownership, which is a part buy, part rent scheme.
Work on site is due to start by May next year and completion is scheduled for around July 2010.
Jephson Housing Association will oversee construction of the homes and Warwickshire Rural Housing Association (WRHA), which specialises in providing affordable homes in rural areas, will manage them once built.
In keeping with WRHA’s policy, only people with a local connection to Shipston will be eligible to move into the development.
Mayor of Shipston Alan Noyce welcomed the news the proposal had been passed.
He said: “These new homes will help alleviate the shortage of affordable housing in the town.
“The town council has supported this development since it was first brought to members’ attention in 2003 and we are pleased positive progress has been made.”
The housing association, working with the town council, conducted a housing needs survey and found there was call for two to four bed houses for rent, two bed bungalows for rent and two bed houses for shared ownership.
This information formed the basis of the planning application.
Neill Gilliver, WRHA Development Services Officer, said: “We are very happy to have achieved planning permission for this development and thank all those members of the community who worked with us on the journey.
“Their input and support has enabled us to draw up a plan that we believe will help meet the housing needs of people who live and work in Shipston.”
Mr Gilliver said special thanks was due to Warwickshire Rural Community Council, whose team “assisted greatly” during the pre-planning stages. The community council acted as a link between the housing association and residents of Shipston to enable effective consultation.
Ends.
Notes to editor:
The development comes under the umbrella of Stratford-on-Avon District Council’s ‘Local Choice’ housing policy.
The homes will be built to level three of the Code for Sustainable Homes, a national standard for energy and water efficiency. This is designed to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and tackle fuel poverty.
Warwickshire Rural Housing Association manages more than 450 homes in 29 villages and small towns across the county. The majority are let at affordable rents, while a small number have been made available through shared ownership schemes. The association works closely with local authorities, parish and town councils to address the needs of rural communities by developing sustainable housing and providing a professional management service for residents.
For further information about the news release, please contact Lyndsey Hunt, of Word Association, on 01455 614333 or lyndsey@wordassociation.co.uk