Daventry District Council says its affordable housing targets are being met

The council has identified the need for 1,500 new affordable homes in the District between 2011 and 2029, to meet housing requirements.

It beat its target for the 2016/17 financial year, after 186 new homes were built against an objective of 100. This means 469 affordable homes have now been constructed since 2011, ahead of the council’s target of 383.

The new Monksmoor development in Daventry, together with developments in the villages of Flore, Moulton, Woodford Halse, Crick, Long Buckby and West Haddon all contributed towards the number of new affordable homes in the last year.

Councillor Mike Warren, Daventry District Council’s health and housing portfolio holder, said: “There are many younger people who cannot afford to remain in the community they grew up in, while older people may want to downsize to a smaller, more manageable house or bungalow.

“That’s why the provision of affordable housing is one of our main priorities, and we are working proactively with a range of organisations in order to meet the needs of our residents.

“We are very pleased to have beaten our target so comfortably in the last year, and we will continue to work hard to secure new affordable housing of the right type and size, and in the areas where it is needed most.”

The council is also working with partners to create rural exception schemes – small scale housing developments that would not normally be permitted, but which are allowed specifically to meet local housing needs.

Built by affordable housing providers and supported by local parish councils, the schemes tend to provide a mixture of affordable rent and shared ownership properties for local people.

The council committed £176,000 towards the latest scheme, at Maple Close in Braunston, which was officially opened by the Northamptonshire Rural Housing Association on July 3 as part of Rural Housing Week.

Also contributing to the council's local housing needs is an agreement with Futures Housing Group, which will see the company build 150 new affordable homes across the district over the next decade, 15 of which are on former garage sites on The Grange and The Headlands estates in Daventry, regenerating those sites and helping to reduce anti-social behaviour.