First wave of Starter Homes to begin with £8 million government funding
The funding will help 27 sites across the country prepare for the first Starter Homes to be built.
Councils across England will share £8 million as a wave of successful bids paves the way for the first Starter Homes.
The funding will help get shovels in the ground on 27 Starter Home sites across the country.
Today’s funding will support councils in enabling Starter Homes on local brownfield sites that are currently underused or vacant, through measures such as clearance, remediation, demolition and site investigations.
Visiting an L&Q mixed social and private housing site, typical of the kind that will in future include Starter Homes, Communities Secretary Greg Clark said it was a prime example of how the government is helping hard-working people to realise their dream of home ownership.
Communities Secretary Greg Clark said:
Right from day one this government has said we will help people who want to get on in life. Today we are showing how we have kept our word, doing everything to deliver on our promise to help hard working families own their home.
The funding announced today will help 27 sites across the country prepare for the first Starter Homes to be built as part of the government’s commitment to building 200,000 Starter Homes.
More Starter Homes
To support the building of more homes for first time buyers we are today also publishing proposals to broaden the definition of affordable housing to make it easier for housebuilders to provide affordable homes for purchase as well as rent.
Widening the definition enables a fuller range of low cost home ownership options to be built more swiftly and allows councils to take into account a broader range of housing types when considering local need.
Tens of thousands of new tenants keen to take up Right to Buy
As well as helping first time buyers the government is helping housing association tenants to buy their homes.
New figures show more than 180 housing association tenants a day are registering their interest in taking up their new Right to Buy.
In an historic agreement between the government and housing associations, the Right to Buy is being extended to 1.3 million housing association tenants – offering a chance many wouldn’t otherwise have had to become a homeowner.
Today’s figures show that more than 11,000 tenants have already registered their interest in taking up their new right. Of these, more than 2,000 tenants are in London.
With housing associations committed to building an additional home for every one sold nationally, this will also deliver new affordable homes across the country – and help towards the government’s ambition to create one million new homeowners by 2020.
The government is committed to delivering security for people at every stage of their lives.
Since 2012, more than 43,000 people have taken up the chance to buy their home through the reinvigorated Right to Buy, which offers discounts of up to £77,900 outside London, and £103,900 in the capital.
At the Spending Review, the government announced that tenants of 5 housing associations in a number of places would have the chance to begin the process of buying their home with the start of new Right to Buy pilot scheme.
Further information
Mr Clark today visited a new L&Q development in Quebec Way, Surrey Quays, south-east London, where 368 new homes are being built – of which will 65 will be for rental and 70 for shared ownership.
The site will also provide up to 1,600 square metres of commercial space including a food store, coffee shop, gym and nursery. A new public route will be created between Quebec Way and the Russia Dock Woodland park.
Today’s figures came as the Prime Minister announced a range of new measures to keep the country building, and ensure those who want to own their own home have the opportunity to do so.
L&Q is one of the 5 housing associations taking part in the new pilot, offering their tenants in the capital the chance to begin the process of buying their home sooner.
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