WARWICKSHIRE RURAL SET TO TRANSFORM MORE LIVES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
18/06/2008
It is one of six housing associations to be selected as preferred partners to help the council deliver its affordable housing programme.
Councillor Leigh Hunt, Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Inclusive Communities at Rugby Borough Council explains: “Rugby Borough Council has recently undertaken a Registered Social Landlord preferred partner selection process to ensure that both the management and development of new affordable housing in the borough remains consistently high, now and in the future.
“The council is pleased to select Warwickshire Rural Housing Association (WRHA) as one of its preferred partners because of its commitment to providing quality affordable housing that meets local housing need in the rural areas of Rugby. It helps to sustain local villages as thriving mixed communities.”
WRHA has a proven track record of developing and managing local homes for local people throughout the borough of Rugby. It currently manages 30 properties in five rural villages in the borough, enabling people to afford to live in the villages where they were brought up, rather than being forced to find cheaper properties elsewhere.
Its development team is also working in more than 10 Rugby borough parishes to meet the proven need for in excess of 30 new homes in the near future.
The housing association prides itself on the standard of the properties it develops which are designed to fit in with their rural surroundings and are built to meet identified housing needs in specific locations.
WRHA is constantly looking to work with more rural communities within the borough. Being named as preferred partner by Rugby Borough Council will mean it can continue to transform the lives of local people by giving them real housing choice.
As a preferred partner, WRHA will work to maximise the amount of new, affordable housing which is available in the borough, ensuring that new developments provide a mix of tenures.
It will also play an active role in developing and implementing the council’s housing strategies along with the local development framework.
In line with the council’s strategic objective of providing a cleaner, greener and safer borough, WRHA will be encouraged to identify new and cost effective construction methods, and progress schemes which conserve energy, tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.
Resident involvement will be key in developing new schemes and services, and the housing association will be working with the council to ensure local people are encouraged to have their say on initiatives.
Craig Felts, secretary of WRHA, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as a preferred partner by Rugby Borough Council.
“We’re committed to meeting the housing needs of rural communities across Warwickshire. By working with the council, we can maintain the spirit of local villages by providing homes which local people can afford so that they can stay close to their roots.”
Warwickshire Rural Housing Association has already developed houses, flats and bungalows, for rent and for shared ownership sales, in many Warwickshire villages. Priority is given to people with strong connections to the local area, who could not otherwise afford to live there.