Member Article

Newcastle Council nets £11.8m HCA funding for 449 new homes

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has granted £11.8m to Newcastle Council for the delivery of 449 new affordable houses across the city.

The money will be used to pay for three different types of accommodation, which will be delivered up to 2021.

Awarded by HCA’s 2016-21 Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme, the Council will use the money to create 72 Help to Buy: Shared Ownership properties, 53 Rent to Buy builds and 324 Specialist Homes for Rent.

The announcement is part of Newcastle Council’s Core Strategy and Urban Core Plan (CSUCP) for Gateshead and Newcastle, as announced in March 2015. The plan identified the need to build 21,000 new homes and create 14,000 additional jobs in Newcastle by 2030.

Cllr Jane Streather, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Housing, said: “The council is committed to creating the right conditions for long term economic growth and to continue to support residents who are vulnerable to stay within a local community, improving their long term health and wellbeing.

“Our delivery model is a very much based on investing to save in order to establish sustainable and balanced communities, creating employment and training opportunities for local people.

“Securing this new funding will provide a wide range of choices to suit the individual needs of all our residents, and importantly offer facilities that will allow those with care needs to live independently, easing the pressure on care budgets.”

Cllr Streather added: “I’m delighted that we’ve able to secure funding, and look forward to strengthening our partnership with the HCA in delivering this five year programme.”

Property constructors working on the builds will be revealed in due course.