Dorset Council has exceeded its target for providing new-build affordable housing in the county over the last 12 months.
In a year like no other, with building sites restricted and materials in short supply at times, joint efforts have made this happen across the housing sector. The outstanding work by Housing Association partners pulling out the stops has meant that 301 safe and affordable housing has been made available for the residents of Dorset. The target was 300.
Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Safety said:
“This is an impressive achievement in what has been a very difficult year for everyone. With many people furloughed during the pandemic, this result shows that by working together, we can still achieve our goals of providing genuine affordable housing.
“Dorset is a beautiful county, but house prices are often almost ten times the average salary, meaning many people here can’t afford to buy their own home. By continuing to work with our partners to provide the right types of homes, for example shared ownership properties, at a price people can afford, this is a great result for the residents of Dorset who need these houses, and for whom Dorset should be a great place to live.”
Dorset currently has over 6000 households on the housing register, and over 300 households in temporary accommodation. We work hard to reduce the mismatch between demand and need for housing and the supply of new homes that is common across the country.
Throughout the pandemic the council team has done excellent work to prevent homelessness and supporting people who are homeless into settled and more permanent housing. While there is still a lot of work to do, the current pipeline of development is delivering well with excellent work from Housing Associations such as Magna, Sovereign and Aster. The council is currently working up a new Housing Strategy which will identify where there are gaps or mismatches in the type of housing, or housing related services, available across the Dorset Council area.
Unless I am missing it somewhere, just how many affordable houses have been built in the year and what was the target. The present government shows very little interest in providing funding for such housing which is a disgrace when so many are homeless and living in supported accommodation
What price is what you call affordable
Affordable housing information.
What was the target for building affordable housing and what was the number of homes built? Who were the people who benefited from the new affordable homes? I think this information should have been included in this newsletter, as without it, the report is meaningless. It appears to be a piece of self congratulations.
Dorset Council should not be complacent about number of houses built. It is still not enough! Many people need to be able to RENT their homes from a council and not from private owners who exploit them.
What is the target, and how many houses were completed, and how many household’s have been rehoused – has the number of people in temporary accommodation reduced?
This is positive news.
However, the article does not say to what extent the 35% target of affordable housing for major developments has been met. Data on the numbers for (target 35%) major developments compared to Affordable home Exception Sites would be useful.
Also confirmation as to whether these are planned numbers or actual affordable homes delivered in the year.
Thank you
Can you tell us what “affordable” means please?
The kind of price for a house that developers call affordable is usually well beyond the reach of many local people who want to stay in their village or local area.
Hi Brenda – this link will take you to a discussion with our housing enabling officers about affordable housing that will explain what is meant by this term https://anchor.fm/dorset-council/episodes/Talk-Dorset-Podcast—Affordable-Housing-and-the-Dorset-Council-Local-Plan-eo2pd5 Fiona