Council funds affordable housing schemes in Moreton in Marsh and Avening

The homes are being brought forward in partnership with the Cottsway Housing Association and Bromford Housing Association on behalf of Gloucestershire Rural Housing Association. 

They will see a mix of social rented homes and shared ownership units built in the coming years, subject to the funding being secured and permissions being acquired, providing houses that those on lower incomes or starting on the housing ladder can afford. 

The move forms part of the Council’s wider ambitions to increase the number of affordable homes in the district as house prices soar and local people struggle to be able to afford to buy and rent in the Cotswolds and stay in their local area.

The developer funding used by the Council to fund the schemes comes from Section 106 contributions made by housing developers when they build in the local area. It is ring-fenced for delivering affordable housing only and required to be spent in a certain time frame. 

The funding will not only help to make sure housing is affordable but will also enable the developers to deliver housing that is much more sustainable and environmentally friendly, in line with the Council’s ambition to tackle the climate emergency.

Councillor Lisa Spivey, Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, said; “In the face of a growing affordability crisis, in February last year we set out our ambition as a Council to increase the number of genuinely affordable homes across the district for local people. 

“We have been working hard with housing providers to turn that ambition into a reality. Where we can we are using available funding to create truly affordable homes here in the Cotswolds. This is a great example of that work, and we want to bring forward other schemes in the coming months. 

“It is also brilliant to see developments like this coming forward that are not only affordable but also more sustainable than standard housing, benefitting not only our local communities but the environment as well. Again this is the result of engaging with Housing Associations to ensure our corporate goals of improving residents’ lives.”