Catterick: More than 70 affordable homes in military town 'not enough' says councillor

The homes will be built as part of the Poppy Gardens estate, in Brough St Giles, near Catterick Garrison.

Work has started on the 240-house development, which will feature a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom homes off Catterick Road.

Permission was granted for the estate to developer, Miller Homes, on the condition a percentage of the properties were classed as affordable.

An affordable housing statement submitted to North Yorkshire Council shows that 36 of the properties will be for shared ownership, 18 will be for rent and 18 will be classed as first homes, meaning they will need to be sold at least 30 per cent below the open market value.

However, Councillor Kevin Foster, who represents the Hipswell and Colburn division at North Yorkshire Council, said a higher percentage of rented properties was needed in the town to address the current housing shortage.

“A lot of local people will not be able to afford the first homes or the shared ownership properties, so we’re just building homes for people to move into from outside the area, not for people who desperately need homes locally.

“They are just not suitable for those families in the Catterick area who have suffered a non-fault eviction or who are homeless.”

Cllr Foster said he commended North Yorkshire Council’s commitment to build 500 new council houses, which it made earlier this year.

“New affordable housing needs to be for rent or social housing — that’s what will make a real difference,” he added.

The shared ownership houses included in the Poppy Gardens development will be subject to a shared ownership Lease which entitles the leaseholder to buy up to 80 per cent ownership of the property.

The homes for rent will be handed over to a registered provider, such as a housing association, to manage.

The homes will be a mix of two and three-bedroom properties.