Site availability raising challenges to deliver Calderdale homes with social housing provider

In 2018 Calderdale Council entered into a partnership with Together Housing to deliver a range of good quality homes to meet need in the borough with a key objective to drive forwarded a key councol regeneration scheme at Beech Hill, Halifax.

It works by the council identifying land in its ownership and transferring it to Together at less than market value, taking a wider view that new affordable homes and desirable and each generates a New Homes Bonus from the Government for the council.

The council is guaranteed a £5,000 for each new home built, bringing in £1.6 million for the authority over the lifetime of the five year partnership which began in 2018.

Calderdale has identified a list of priority sites which are either “brownfield” or have been identified as potential sites in the draft Local Plan, which is in the process of being examined.

Beech Hill, which involvd the demolition of some former blocks of flats, proved technically complex and challenging but following £22 million development costs to date, 105 new energy-efficient affordable homes for rent will result, also bringing forward “viable options” for existing homes on the estate, the council’s CFAM Asset Management Board heard.

In all 65 homes have been delivered at six sites across Calderdale, with another 188 either on site or due to start imminently.

If sites completed or “on site” 88 per cent of all homes are for affordable rent and 12 per cent for shared ownership.

Six sites are at appraisal stage, and will house around 185 new homes, while a start on site is imminent at Beech Hill, the board heard.

Coun Bryan Smith (Lab, Ovenden) queried whether the £5,000 the council received for each home, accepting some sites were more difficult to develop than others, was now enough.

“I have concerns this particular receipt has been in place for quite some time and has not been reviewed – I would like information on what other councils sell their land off for,” he said.

The council’s Housing Enabling and Projects Manager Stephanie Furness said the authority had set the sum at that level because it would allow affordable housing schemes to come forward – it guaranteed delivery of these.