These new Council Homes were completed earlier this year and more are now set to follow in Wheatley and Thorne
I was delighted that yesterday, my Cabinet and I were able to approve the construction of another 115 new Council Houses in Thorne and Wheatley.
It follows our decision two weeks ago to approve a scheme to deliver 60 new affordable homes in Balby and the news that last year a record 1170 new homes were completed in Doncaster.
This is more great news on the housing front, as we continue our successful drive to meet the housing needs of everyone in Doncaster.
The site at Thorne is set to be transformed with new Council Houses.
In Thorne we’ll be delivering 35 new homes on the Willow Estate, which were put at risk when the previous developer pulled out as a result of the Government’s new policies on social housing. The homes will include 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom properties and Doncaster Council has stepped in to ensure the programme is completed.
It’s disappointing that the Government’s policies are actually making it more difficult to deliver new social housing and causing developers to walk away from projects. However, for as long as we can, Doncaster Council will ensure that we continue to deliver affordable and social housing projects across the borough.
At Bristol Grove in Wheatley, subject to planning approval, we’ll be replacing 50 ‘non traditional’ ageing Howard properties, which were constructed using asbestos, with 80 modern homes.
The current ‘non-traditional’ properties at Bristol Grove will be replaced
The proposal meets all of our key objectives for the provision and development of affordable housing and also meets the Council’s ambition to create safe and sustainable places to live. Six different house types are proposed for this site which satisfy the ‘Lifetime Home’ requirements and all will have common architectural features that tie them together.
An impression of the new homes in Wheatley which will meet modern housing standards.
The proposed design keeps the internal layouts similar, to ensure each house-type meets the following criteria:
- New Spatial Standards for overall sizes and room sizes,
- New Nationally Described Space Standards (NDSS) internal storage requirements
- Building Regulations optional standard for mobility for the bathrooms and ground floor WCs,
- Straight staircases for the later addition of stair lifts if needed
- St Leger Homes’ preferences for future adaptation, and
- Enhanced external wall thickness for improved thermal insulation.
Recent analysis of the Council’s Housing Register as well as bidding activity through the Choice Based Lettings scheme has shown that demand for housing in Wheatley remains well above the average with family homes in particular being in high demand.
In Thorne, there is more good news with work expected to start in the New Year on our new Extra Care scheme for older people, which includes 72 new apartments with care facilities on site. It builds on our similar successful scheme at Edlington, which opened last year.
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