Vale gives more than £300,000 to build affordable homes in the district
Vale of White Horse District Council has pledged to provide grant funding of more than £300,000 towards the cost of creating affordable homes in Botley, in the parish of Cumnor.
The council has just signed a funding agreement with Oxfordshire Community Land Trust to build five one-bedroom and three two-bedroom flats for affordable rent on land at Dean Court.
In addition to the £305,000 from the council, the trust also secured private finance along with a further £600,000 from the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal towards the cost of this project. The council’s funding will come from developer contributions.
Work is due to start on site shortly with the homes ready for new residents to move in by 2023.
The flats will provide much needed homes to people on the Vale of White Horse District Council’s housing register. Preference will be given to those with a connection to the local area. Oxfordshire Community Land Trust anticipates residents will manage the flats as a co-operative.
Cllr Judy Roberts, Vale of White Horse District Council’s Cabinet Member for Development and Infrastructure, said: “The site at Dean Court is an example of a great opportunity for us as a council to help build truly affordable homes with a community-led group such as Oxfordshire Community Land Trust.
“The Vale of White Horse District Council is delighted that this community-led group secured grant from the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal to deliver affordable housing which meets the needs of residents. This has been topped up by developer contributions from the council.”
Allocation of the homes will be made through the Vale of White Horse Homechoice housing register. Information on how to apply to the housing register can be found here.
Notes to editor
The Vale of White Horse District Council uses financial contributions made by developers, where it has not been possible to provide affordable homes on site.
The Oxfordshire Community Land Trust says the Dean Court development will consist of a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats built to Nationally Described Space Standards. The design seeks to achieve high levels of insulation, near PassivHaus standard, in order to promote sustainability and minimise energy bills for residents.
The site is a ‘backland’ development located between existing housing in a mixed tenure area. This is a sustainable location serviced by regular and fast public transport connections to and from Oxford City Centre. The trust will operate a car club for the use of tenants and provide bike racks.
The Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal supports the delivery of affordable housing throughout Oxfordshire to meet the needs of local people. Further details of this programme can be found here.
