Warwick welcomes new build council houses

Warwick District Council (WDC) councillors and officers officially opened the site of 21 homes within the Chase Meadow estate on Thursday.

Building at the “landmark” scheme last year started last year and the council owned-sites now include six two-bedroom homes for rent, as well as 15 three-bedroom homes which were sold under a part ownership scheme.

The houses at Great Field Drive are now being lived in by owners and tenants in what has been hailed as a great move for the people of the district.

It is the first time the council has offered a shared- ownership scheme in which people can buy a share of their home and pay a reduced rent to the council for the share not owned by them.

Speaking when the houses were first announced, Andy Thompson, head of housing and property services at WDC said: “I am delighted that the council is providing new homes for residents of the district, including shared ownership homes for people on middle incomes who cannot afford to buy outright.

“We are also actively pursuing other initiatives so I hope that this will be the first of many new council housing schemes in the coming years.”

The homes were made possible after changes to financial regulations in 2012 made it possible for authorities across the country to build council housing for the first time in decades.

The council then adopted a new housing strategy to offer a series of homes for families in need of support - a model which it is hoped will be repeated in the district.

The houses were built by developers Taylor Wimpey and officially opened as a council initiative on Thursday afternoon.

Anne Wallace, of Taylor Wimpey Midlands, said: “It is a real privilege to be involved with Warwick District Council’s first new council housing project of the 21st century.”