Grant Secured to Help Deliver Affordable Housing in Gloucestershire
Two Rivers Housing has announced it has secured a grant from Homes England. How will this help the housing association to deliver more affordable housing in Gloucestershire?
The grant from Homes England will be used to build 17 new affordable homes at its Marian’s Walk site in Coleford.
This is a land-led development that Two Rivers Housing owns and will provide a mix of properties that will be available to rent and some to buy through the government’s Shared Ownership scheme.
In addition, Two Rivers Housing also received £207,772 from Forest of Dean District Council to build affordable homes in the Forest of Dean.
Collaboration is key to ensuring housing projects are successfully delivered
Both of the grants will be used to fund work at Marian’s Walk and support the purchase of 12 additional homes from Crest Nicholson at its Mirum Park site in Lydney.
It has been working with Crest Nicolson at this site since 2020 and has already secured 44 affordable homes under a S106 agreement.
A further £90,0000 was also granted from NHS Gloucestershire. This will enable two of the properties at Marian’s Walk to be built as fully wheelchair accessible and adaptable for the future needs of tenants with physical disabilities.
The rest of the properties, which excludes first-floor flats, will also be built to an accessible and adaptable standard. This is said to help meet the changing needs of tenants over their lifetime.
Terri Hibberd, Development Manager at Two Rivers Housing, explained that collaboration is crucial when it comes to ensuring projects are delivered successfully: “We have developed fantastic working relationships with Homes England and the local councils with which we work, which has been key to our success in obtaining these grants.”
Continuing, Terri highlighted that meeting the current housing need of its community is the main objective for Two Rivers Housing: “As a community-focused housing association, we are committed to increasing the availability of affordable homes across Gloucestershire and the surrounding area.”
These communities are in desperate need of new homes and the funding we have secured will help us meet this need.
Terri added that ensuring that everyone has a safe place to live is needed: “We are incredibly grateful to Homes England, the Forest of Dean District Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council, and NHS Gloucestershire for helping build a community where everyone has a warm, safe, affordable home.”
Two River Housing is aiming to build 1,000 affordable homes by 2028
A total of £295,000 was granted by Tewkesbury Borough Council to help with the purchase of a five-bedroom home in Ashcurch, Tewkesbury.
This area is one that is in desperate need of larger homes for its local families to rent and the property will be available for bidding through the HomeSeekers site when completed.
Councillor Alex Hegenbarth, Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Lead Member for Housing, Health and Wellbeing, expressed that introducing social rent properties will support the local communities greatly.
The Councillor said: “We are always pleased to work with our partners to support delivery of new affordable housing, and this new social rent property will be an important addition to the homes available across the borough.”
The grants will help Two Rivers Housing deliver on its promise to increase the number of affordable homes available across Gloucestershire and hit its target of building 1,000 new affordable homes by 2028.
