PEOPLE in the Trowbridge area looking for a home to rent will be in with a good chance of moving into a new £5m housing development, says a senior Wiltshire councillor.
Wiltshire Council is funding 28 new homes at Southview Close, off Southview Park, which will be ready by the winter.
The new estate is part of a wider scheme by the authority to build 158 council homes across the county.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for housing, said that people who live locally and have a certain level of assets have a ‘trump’ card when they apply for the homes, ahead of people who do not live locally.
“This is a smell step, but it is a good step. Providing affordable places to rent can help people in need,” he said.
“The council’s housing allocation policy looks at people with a local connection.
“That is the trump card that they have. You need to be below a certain level of asset to get this but this can certainly help local people.
“We understand the importance of affordable housing. Housing associations are sometimes constrained by borrowing whereas the council is about fulfilling social need.”
The Southview project features a mix of two and three-bed houses as well as six one-bed flats, and are available as shared ownership or at an affordable rent.
They will be available to people registered under the Homes4Wiltshire allocation system.
Last week, Wiltshire Council representatives and the contractor, Stepnell, inspected progress on the land.
“It is really exciting to see the homes on their way to completion, and it won’t be long before families are settled in and looking forward to the future,” Cllr Clewer said.
“It is clear that these homes have been built to a high specification, and I’m certain that residents will be really happy living here.
“I was impressed with how the houses looked and that they have showers on the ground floor, which is important to some tenants.
“The cost to build each home was around £170,000.”
The council already rents out more than 5,000 homes, mainly in Salisbury and South Wiltshire. For more info visit https://www.homes4wiltshire.co.uk/
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