New social rent homes could be delivered on 6 key Isle of Wight Council-owned sites including former school land and the old driving test centre.
The policy, finance and resources committee is due to look at a list of places in Lake, Nettlestone, Newport and Yarmouth where social housing may be viable.
It comes amid a £210,000 award for County Hall from the Council Housebuilding Support Fund (CHSF), helping to bring the sites forward through the planning process. The grant does not go towards housebuilding.
Social rent homes are defined by housing charity Shelter as those which are truly affordable, have rents linked to local incomes and are secure.
The CHSF forms part of the government’s Council Housebuilding Skills and Capacity Programme, launched last year.
The List
- Berry Hill, Lake (former Island Learning Centre)
- Eddington Road, Nettlestone (grazing field)
- 17 Fairlee Road, Newport (former social services HQ)
- Medina Way, Newport (former driving test centre)
- Pyle Street, Newport (acquired from Home England)
- Mill Lane, Yarmouth (part of former Yarmouth School)
The report says:
“The schedule includes a list of six key sites for priority consideration for assessment of suitability and viability for social rent housing purposes.
Article continues below this advertisement “The CHSF grant is solely revenue to help bring forward the identified sites through the planning process. It does not include the actual delivery of any housebuilding, for which no funding has yet been identified.
“Nor has any viability testing yet been undertaken on the 6 sites. It is important to note that social rent housing schemes may not be viable without additional financial support.”
Progress would require gaining access to external grant funding such as the government’s new £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme or looking at alternative delivery models, the document adds.
Full council has the power to decide on the way forward for each site and is next due to meet on 25th February.
More road works
Lol
Social housing or immigrant housing, something stinks.
Nothing wrong with migrants, they are not all bad.
Don’t believe everything you read.
My thoughts exactly
I’m all for the council promoting its surplus land for housing but this would need a significant level of grant funding to deliver as social rented housing. It’s really hard to make private housing development stack on the island due to the significant increase in material, labour and regulatory costs since covid.