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Council houses to be built in Redditch again

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COUNCIL homes are set to be built in Redditch again for the first time in more than 30 years.

The multi-million project will focus on providing bungalows and three and four bedroom properties of which there is a shortage and high demand for within the borough.

But rather than huge estates of the past, they will be small developments of no more than about 25 homes and built on plots of land which the council owns.

The move, announced at an executive committee meeting on Tuesday, will free up space on the council's housing list - which currently has more than 3,500 people on it - by providing extra capacity to the 6,047 council homes already built. It will also allow residents to downsize, freeing up larger properties.

No sites have yet been identified but it is hoped building could begin as early as May, once the scheme has been rubber-stamped by full council next month.

It is believed it would make Redditch Borough Council one of the first local authorities outside of London to build their own council homes for more than three decades.

Council leader Carole Gandy told the Standard: "We are really excited about this because for us it is about being able to determine the type of housing we want building.

"There is a frustration that most developers will build what they think will sell not necessarily what is needed, for example there is a need for bungalows in the town but the vast majority of developers won't build them because of cost."

The project is being funded by government changes to the Housing Revenue Account which will allow the council in future to keep all income from council house rents and sales in return for taking on a portion of the historic housing debt - which for Redditch is more than £98million.

The change will see the end of the negative subsidy system where councils receive a sum of money to cover any shortfall in expected expenditure and income, but where there is a surplus it has to be paid back. The council has been keeping money in reserve, some £6.5million, in case the amount payable to the Government was more than anticipated and this will be used to fund the building.

Coun Brandon Clayton, responsible for housing on the council, said: "Most of the properties built in recent years have been two bedroom, which is fine as there is a demand for that, but something we have talked about for years is the need to get the right people in the right houses and this is the ideal opportunity to build the type of houses our residents need. We would be stupid not to do it."