Stroud District Council, Affordable Homes

Stroud District Council (SDC) has awarded contracts worth £11.75 million to Speller Metcalfe for the construction of 44 new affordable homes on three council-owned brownfield sites across the district.

The projects will see the development of:

· Eight homes for affordable rent on the former council house site at Gloucester Street and Bradley Street in Wotton-under-Edge

· Thirteen homes for social rent on the site of a former sheltered housing scheme at Cambridge Avenue in Dursley

· Twenty-three homes for affordable rent and shared ownership on the site of a former sheltered housing scheme at Glebelands, Cam

Construction is set to start in Spring 2025 with completion anticipated between March and September 2026.

The council has secured £371,000 from HM Government through the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2) to support the demolition of the sites.

£1.82 million towards the costs of construction at Cambridge Avenue has been funded by the Homes England Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 which aims to deliver up to 130,000 new homes across England, providing a mix of social rent (usually the lowest rents, set using a government formula), affordable rent (no more than 80% of local market rent), shared ownership, and rent to buy options. This initiative is part of the government’s commitment to increase the supply of affordable housing and support more people in accessing a home of their own.

The project supports several objectives in SDC’s Council Plan including to build affordable, energy efficient homes and deliver key regeneration sites across the district, especially brownfield sites.