Archived press release

Date Published: 17/05/06

The creation of 19 new affordable homes in Aylesbury Vale has been given the green light. AVDC’s cabinet last night (16 May) approved the release of its land at Ruskin Way, Aylesbury, and at Willis Road, Haddenham, for new housing. The sit...

The creation of 19 new affordable homes in Aylesbury Vale has been given the green light.

AVDC’s cabinet last night (16 May) approved the release of its land at Ruskin Way, Aylesbury, and at Willis Road, Haddenham, for new housing.

The sites will be developed by Hastoe Housing Association after the cabinet agreed to transfer the land to them at no cost. In return, the housing association will build 10 affordable homes at Ruskin Way and four homes at a former garage site in Willis Road.

The homes will be available to rent or to buy through shared ownership schemes. Planning applications for the development of these sites will be considered by the council later this year.

In a further boost to affordable housing in the district, five homes are to be built at the former school site at Ceely Road, Aylesbury, thanks to a £350,000 grant from AVDC.

The site is currently being developed for a mixed use residential scheme by Midsummer Housing Association and includes five homes for rent, 12 homes for key worker shared ownership and seven homes for sale on the open market. Without grant funding, the housing association would not be able to provide rented homes on this site.

The council is also providing £200,000 to the Guinness Housing Trust so that its affordable housing scheme on the former Bearbrook House land at Oxford Road, Aylesbury, meets the required building standards. This brings the council’s total grant for this scheme to more than £2.3 million. The development will provide 36 bed spaces for single vulnerable people by spring 2008.

This good news comes shortly after the recent announcement that the Housing Corporation had approved a grant of £25.5 million for affordable housing in Aylesbury Vale over the next two years. This money is set to provide a further 666 new homes in the district, including 577 homes with affordable rent and 89 for shared ownership. One of the key sites to benefit is the Aylesbury New Lodge site at Griffin Lane, Aylesbury, where £4.9 million will be spent to provide 105 new homes for homeless people.

Councillor Michael Edmonds, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “This is great news for the many people, young and old, who are trying to find a suitable home in the district. The availability of additional rent and shared ownership homes will really make a difference for local families in housing need.

“Delivering new, affordable homes for local people is an absolute priority for the council. We will work closely with our housing association partners to ensure the Housing Corporation funding provides good quality new homes as quickly as possible for local families on our waiting lists.”