New Urban Village with Affordable Housing One Step Closer
A new urban village that will see around 200 affordable homes built on underused and derelict land is becoming a reality.
Gloucester City Council Councillors are set to give the go ahead for officers to work with Rooftop Housing Association to redevelop fifteen acres of land adjacent to St Oswalds Retail Park which will provide up to 300 much needed new homes for Gloucester.
It is intended that the development, which will be discussed at next week’s cabinet meeting, would see a third of the houses available to buy, a third set aside for affordable rent and the last portion sold under shared ownership.
In keeping with the Council’s commitment to its environmental responsibilities, both the construction methods used and the buildings themselves would aim to use minimal energy and the development would use a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) that takes account of biodiversity, water quality and flooding.
And in line with the Council’s new social value policy it would ensure that benefits from the development which could see over £30million invested, would be accessed by local communities through jobs, training opportunities and community projects.
Councillor Andrew Gravells, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy at Gloucester City Council, said: “This is an exciting and ambitious building project ,which could provide much needed high quality and affordable homes for people who need them. There are a number of hurdles ahead, but we are committed to increasing the supply of homes available for families and meeting the challenges of a growing population. It’s a pleasure to be able to work with Rooftop Housing again, as they have a solid track record in Gloucester of providing new places here for people to call home.”
Boris Worrall, Rooftop Group Chief Executive, said: “The council has been an exceptional and collaborative partner in recent months in exploring how to potentially take this challenging site and create high-quality homes for local people to rent and buy. Although it’s still in the early stages, this is a significant step forward in our shared commitment to finding a way to create a community the City and local residents can be proud of. Our focus over the coming months will be on working through the necessary details with council colleagues and others.”