Homes could be funded as demand reaches new high

A £1.25m scheme to provide affordable housing is back on the cards, according to councillors – who have revealed the waiting list for council homes in York has topped 3,000 for the first time in years.

Homes that would have reduced this demand were in jeopardy after it was announced that earlier funding for the Lilbourne Drive housing council house project faced the spending cuts axe.

But hopes are high that the development, in the Clifton area of the city, could be back on track – after the council resubmitted a bid to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) for funding.

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The HCA recently announced a "mini-bid" round, inviting applications for grants for building of affordable homes.

Ward councillor David Scott welcomed the bid.

"After seeing this put on a list of schemes likely to be scrapped, I'm pleased that York appears to be back in with a chance of securing the necessary funding for new council housing.

"The previous Government had committed 1.25m to building 21 homes in the Burdyke area of Clifton, a development that would have involved local apprenticeships.

"Apprenticeships also form part of the new bid and I hope the HCA looks at the acute need for affordable homes in York and agrees the funding required," said Councillor Scott.

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York's independent housing needs assessment carried out in 2007 highlighted the need for more than new 1,200 affordable homes each year in order to meet local demand.

Since then, the number waiting to be housed has exceeded 3,000 for the first time in years.

Coun Ken King said: "The city needs the Lilbourne Drive housing development and also more like it in the future.

"Unfortunately the council is not blessed with available land but where it can, it should press for the funding that helps it add to its housing stock.

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"The number of people waiting for housing is only going to go one way in the years to come, and that is up, not down.

"Should this bid be successful, the sustainability standards of the housing will be excellent and that would be great news for prospective tenants."

The HCA should announce the results on September 7.

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