Residents move into new council homes

The council housing development on Southfield Road is the first of this scale in the borough for many years and comprises 68 affordable homes created following the redevelopment of a derelict former hosiery factory site.

Westleigh Partnerships Ltd was given permission by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council's Planning Committee in April to build a mix of house types on the site of the former Richard Roberts factory in Southfield Road, on behalf of the Borough Council and Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA).

The affordable housing development comprises a mix of 51 rented properties and 17 homes for shared ownership.

The Borough Council will own and manage 30 of the rental properties, comprising:

• 12 x one bedroom flats
• 7 x two bedroom houses
• 8 x three bedroom houses
• 3 x two bedroom bungalows

Nottingham Community Housing Association will own and manage 21 rental properties, comprising:

• 12 x one bedroom flats
• 6 x two bedroom houses
• 3 x two bedroom bungalows

NCHA will manage the 17 shared ownership properties, comprising:

• 9 x two bedroom houses
• 8 x three bedroom houses

These properties are due for completion in spring 2018, although many of the properties have already sold. 

Cllr Peter Wallace, Executive Member for Housing and Community Safety at the Borough Council said:

These new homes are a fantastic addition to HBBC’s stock of over 3300 council houses, which are distributed across the borough, and later this year further new build properties will be completed in Martinshaw Lane in Groby. In both cases we have implemented a housing lettings policy which gives priority to local people, and I’m very pleased to see our first tenants have now moved in. I hope they enjoy living here and will soon feel at home.

Council Leader Mike Hall added:

Council housing is an essential part of the mix of housing types that are available in the borough, and I hope that we shall soon be building more to meet the expanding demand as the population grows.

Pressure on the housing market and problems with affordability for many people also means that councils must take a different view of council housing. We must view renting a council house as one way onto the housing ladder and an affordable route into home ownership. 

By renting a council house, tenants are assured of a good quality place to live, but I want to see more people taking advantage of their Right-to-Buy so that their council house really does become their home.

Allan Fisher, Director of Development and Sales for NCHA said: 

It was a pleasure to work with both Westleigh and Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council on this site. By using a more creative approach to partnership working we have developed a scheme which works for everyone involved, not least for the new residents and shared ownership buyers. We look forward to replicating this new model of working in the future where both NCHA and the Local Authority can benefit from our experience and expertise in development.

Gary Turner, Partnerships and Investments Director for Westleigh, said:

We are pleased to be playing our part in delivering these affordable homes for the benefit of the community in Hinckley.

These homes are going some way towards addressing the shortage of affordable properties in the local area.

We would like to thank our partners at both NCHA and the Borough Council for helping us to make the scheme a success.