12th June 2012
New figures from the Homes and Communities Agency show that affordable housing starts are down from 49,363 in 2010/11 to 15,698 in 2011/12.
Click here for the full stats tables.
In 2011, Housing Minister Grant Shapps pledged to deliver 170,000 affordable homes by 2015.
Work Begins on Hungerford Over-55s and Extra Care Homes
6th June 2012
Work has begun on the construction of 74 new affordable homes for the over-55s at The Priory in Hungerford.
Sovereign Housing Association's development, which consists of one- and two-bedroom apartments, is due to be completed in the second half of 2013.
The flats will be provided in two blocks, one comprising 28 apartments for the over-55s and the other 46 apartments with extra care facilities. All the properties in these blocks are for rent.
The extra care facility will boast additional support services, which could include a catering standard kitchen, a kiosk shop and hairdresser.
The new development replaces 33 flats that were on the sites. The development, which is being built by Leadbitter, benefited from investment from the Homes and Communities Agency and from West Berkshire Council.
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First Phase of New homes in Doncaster Complete
7th June 2012
The first phase of a new development of 22 affordable homes for rent has completed at Cooper Street, near Doncaster town centre.
Housing provider Guinness Northern Counties has been selected by Doncaster Council to manage all 22 of the new rented homes, created under the Six Streets regeneration scheme.
Representatives from Guinness Northern Counties took handover of the first three, two-bedroom homes from housing specialist Lovell which is working with Doncaster Council to create a total of 123 new homes in the area.
The overall development will comprise 86 homes for open market sale; 22 properties for rent through Guinness Northern Counties and 15 homes available for shared ownership through the Lovell Choice scheme.
The rented homes will range from two bedroom flats and bungalows to three and four bedroom houses, with phased completions between now and 2014.
Costs for the 22 rented homes of £1.4 million has been subsidised with a grant of £425,000 from the Homes & Communities Agency.
The properties on Cooper Street meet Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 and feature photovoltaic cells, parking spaces and private gardens.
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Plymouth Regeneration Project Celebrates First New Homes
18th June 2012 The first new homes in the major regeneration of Plymouth's North Prospect Estate are now complete and Plymouth Community Homes tenants will begin to move in over the next few weeks.
Six new homes have been handed over by Barratt, the developer for the first phase of the regeneration. More will follow in the coming weeks.
When the first phase of work is completed, there will be a total of 148 energy efficient homes, including 52 available for rent, 28 for shared ownership and 68 for private sale.
Work on phase 1 began in May last year and the second part, which is due to complete in 2014, started in February and will include a community hub and apartments exclusively for older people.
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Angela Rippon Officially Open Homes in Berkshire
18th June 2012
A development of 63 affordable homes for older people in Newbury has been officially opened by celebrity guest Angela Rippon, who is an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society and a campaigner for older people.
The Sovereign Housing Association consists of 56 apartments and seven bungalows. These new low-carbon flats and bungalows replace homes built in the 1960s and 1970s as sheltered accommodation for older residents which were no longer fit for purpose.
The new flats have a number of environmental features, including a centralised combined heat and power plant, which produces the electricity used by residents. The heat generated as a by-product of this process is then used to heat the individual apartments, by means of an efficient and space-saving under-floor heating system.
All of the new homes are wheelchair adaptable and offer a very safe environment with many security features, including CCTV.