£4.7 million for Affordable Housing

Millions of pounds worth of investment from a leading affordable housing provider is set to help safeguard communities across Staffordshire and Shropshire.

Central Borders Housing Group learned this week that the Housing Corporation had backed its bid for more than £4.7 million to provide much needed affordable housing in the area.

The money is being used to fund 194 homes which will then be managed by South Staffordshire Housing Association, the founding member of the group, providing quality new homes both for rent and shared ownership.

A total of 11 out of the 16 Central Borders Housing Group schemes are in rural areas of Shropshire and Staffordshire, including Broseley, Patshull and Himley.

This will help give access to affordable housing local people who otherwise would be forced to move away by high property prices, particularly in villages where the gulf between income and prices can be largest for first-time buyers.

“Tackling affordable housing in our villages is vital to the survival of rural communities,” said Debbie Griffiths, group chief executive of the Central Borders Housing Group.

“We are investing in a number of small scale, sympathetic developments that will help people on lower incomes set up home where property prices are traditionally high.

“People will then be able to afford to settle where they grew up, whether through high-quality, affordable rented properties, or shared ownership schemes, where people buy a share in the property to help them get on the property ladder.

“We are committed to the long term sustainability of communities in the areas where we work. This funding from the Housing Corporation is a significant boost to what we can achieve and will enable us to look at even more projects in the future.”

Central Borders Housing Group successfully bid for the money from the National Affordable Housing Programme 2008–2011, announced by the Government this week, as a member of the Spectrum Development Partnership. Spectrum was awarded a total of £30 million to back investment in affordable housing across the West Midlands, the largest amount ever received by the consortium.

Central Borders Housing Group has a track record of successfully delivering new homes in both urban and rural locations thanks to the work of South Staffordshire Housing Association.

(Released 3rd March 2008.)