Member Article

New affordable homes in beautiful Staithes

Construction work has started on a development of 12 new affordable homes in the attractive North Yorkshire seaside village of Staithes. Property prices in the village have risen significantly over recent years, often meaning local households cannot afford to buy, or even rent a home. The £2.4m development on Hinderwell Lane in the village is being built by York Housing Association, aiming to house local people who currently find it difficult to afford a home in the village. The new development will be built on what is known as a ‘rural exception site’ – land that can only be used for building affordable homes. YHA has worked closely with the North York Moors National Park Authority, and with the area’s Rural Housing Enabler (RHE), to ensure the new development can be built and that it will meet the high standards required in the national park. RHEs work to enable local people on modest incomes to stay in or return to their village. Developments of this kind can help rural villages to thrive. The project will provide 12 family homes available to let at Affordable Rent. Homes England has provided over £400,000 in funding to support the construction of the new homes. The development will be a mixture of three-bedroom and two-bedroom houses, two-bedroom bungalows, and one-bedroom flats. They will be built by contractor Gus Robinson Developments to a design by architects Ergo Projects. Building new affordable homes in Staithes has been welcomed by Scarborough Borough Council, who have also made a financial contribution to the development as they are keen to see local housing needs being addressed. The older, northern part of the village around the harbour is now owned predominantly by second home owners and holiday lettings operators. Average house prices in the Scarborough District Council area where Staithes is located stand at 7.8 times the average salary (data from the National Housing Federation’s ‘Home Truths’ report 2018). The area also has over 4,000 second homes, which provide important tourism income to the local economy, but can also make it difficult for local people to secure a home. Julia Histon, managing director of York Housing Association, said: “Staithes is a very attractive village in a wonderful location, and it attracts a lot of visitors. That means homes are in great demand, so prices to buy and to rent have risen in recent years. “We know the vital importance of building new affordable homes so villages like Staithes can be affordable for all sections of society, and to ensure local businesses and services can be sustained all year round. “We want to see local people not having to move away to find the homes they need.” Councillor Carl Maw, Portfolio Holder for Stronger Communities and Housing at Scarborough Borough Council, said: “We are very pleased to see the commencement of the new affordable housing development at Staithes. It’s taken a lot of hard work by the Council’s Rural Housing Enabler, York Housing Association and the North York Moors National Park to bring this scheme together, and we were very happy to support it with a funding contribution last year. “Staithes is one of the biggest rural villages in the borough with a high housing need, and there was an imperative to develop new affordable homes in the village to meet that need. We look forward to the homes being completed and local households in need moving into the new homes.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Graeme King .