Eight new affordable homes handed over in Wotton-under-Edge
Eight new affordable rent homes in Wotton-under-Edge have been officially handed over to Stroud District Council, supporting efforts to meet the district’s pressing need for high-quality, energy-efficient housing.
The homes, built on the former council house site at Gloucester Street and Bradley Street, were formally handed over on 23 April by Speller Metcalfe to Councillor Gary Luff, Chair of Stroud District Council’s Housing Committee.
The development replaces four former council houses on the site, two of which had been long-term empty and two of which were among the oldest council houses in the district, having been built in the 1920’s. These houses would have required significant and costly upgrades to meet modern building standards. Instead, the remaining tenants moved to more modern and accessible homes, the outdated properties were demolished and the brownfield site redeveloped to deliver eight modern, energy-efficient new homes.
The scheme provides five two-bedroom and three three-bedroom houses for affordable rent, with rents set at no more than 80 percent of local market rent. The homes will be allocated through the council’s housing register, with priority given in line with the allocations policy.
Councillor Gary Luff, Chair of Stroud District Council’s Housing Committee, said: “I’m delighted to see these new homes handed over in Wotton-under-Edge. There’s a significant shortage of affordable housing across the district, with thousands of households on our housing register, so every new home we deliver really matters. This development makes excellent use of a brownfield site and provides modern, energy-efficient homes that will make a real difference to local families.”
The Wotton-under-Edge homes are the first to be completed as part of Stroud District Council’s £14.5 million council housebuilding programme with Speller Metcalfe. In total, the programme will deliver 51 new affordable homes across four council-owned brownfield sites in Wotton-under-Edge, Dursley and Cam and Cashes Green, Stroud.
To support delivery of the programme, the council secured £490,000 from HM Government through the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 to enable demolition and redevelopment of the sites.
All the new homes have been designed to high environmental standards and include air source heat pumps, EPC A ratings, solar photovoltaic panels, permeable paving, bird and bat boxes and hedgehog highways. These measures will help reduce energy bills for residents while supporting the council’s climate and biodiversity ambitions.
The project supports several objectives in the council’s plan, including building affordable, energy-efficient homes and regenerating key sites across the district.
Mark Eaton, divisional director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “This project is a great example of how thoughtful regeneration can deliver real social and environmental value. Replacing outdated properties with modern, energy-efficient homes not only helps address local housing need but also reduces long-term energy costs for residents. We’re delighted to hand over the first homes in this programme and to continue working with Stroud District Council to deliver high-quality, sustainable housing across the district.”
Alongside its own housebuilding programme, Stroud District Council is also purchasing completed homes from developers in Kingswood, Cam, Coaley and Great Oldbury. Together, these approaches form part of the council’s wider commitment to increasing the supply of affordable homes for local residents.
There are currently 2,774 households on the district’s housing register, with a further 1,298 applications awaiting validation, highlighting the ongoing need for developments such as this.
