For the first time since 2012, 100 affordable houses have been provided in a year on the Isle of Wight.
Successes include plans to build another 300 affordable houses in the next few years, 600 affordable homes in the pipeline for the next five years with the council working in partnership with housing associations and a new long-term Covid-safe homeless facility is being made.
The government has agreed the Isle of Wight can receive the social housing grant, which will allow housing associations to claim sufficient funding to provide homes at an affordable level or 60% of the market rent.
Sites for affordable houses have been identified to maximise the provision including on Eddington Road, Nettlestone, and Taylor Road, Carisbrooke, with land release funding applied for.
Cabinet member for planning and housing, Cllr Barry Abraham, said the council could be proud of the strategy’s success but it was only the start.
He said:
“It is certainly not where we want to be or where we need to be
“There are a lot of people on the Island who are struggling to find anywhere to live. It is something that does need to be looked at and we can help more people.
“It is our vision to enable everyone living on the Island to have a place they can call home.”
The housing strategy was approved in October 2020 with six main focus areas, including the new housing supply on the Island, homelessness and housing needs and affordable housing, and commits the council and its housing partner to delivering the outcomes.
So far, of the 48 actions proposed to be completed in the first year of the strategy, 40 have been achieved, another seven have been started and one has not been achieved in its project timescale but could be done before its annual review.
Due to Covid-19, a positive housing campaign to ‘break down resistance’ to new housing developments on the Island has had to be put on hold.
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