By working together through the Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP), Cambridge City Council and The Hill Group are progressing plans to redevelop two former council estates in Cambridge.
At both Hanover Court and Princess Court and Ekin Road, independent viability assessments concluded that the costs associated with redeveloping the sites mean there should be no requirement to build council homes.
Despite this, Cambridge City Council still intends to secure funding from Homes England to deliver council homes at each development. If the plans are approved, the council will be able to apply for funding for the majority of the council homes proposed across the two sites.
Councillor Gerri Bird has reiterated the council’s commitment to building council homes on these developments and securing funding to ensure this happens.
At Hanover Court and Princess Court, funding will allow 72 council homes to be built as part of the 165 new homes proposed.
At Ekin Road, funding would enable 78 council homes to be built within the 134 total new homes being proposed.
In addition to replacing ageing homes that are not up to the standards tenants deserve, the proposals will provide more spacious layouts, modern homes, with some homes offering additional living spaces and others offering additional bedrooms. The overall number of homes across the two sites will increase from 235 to 299.
The remaining 149 homes will be available for sale. Profit generated from these homes will provide the council with an additional source of funding to support its ongoing council house building programme without unduly impacting its long-term finances or putting delivery of services at risk.
Proposals to be considered at planning committee
The first site being considered at the planning committee meeting is Hanover Court and Princess Court off Hills Road in Cambridge. The latest plans, which can be viewed as part of the agenda for the Planning Committee on 24 June, would see two deteriorating residential buildings of 127 homes demolished and 165 new homes built in their place.
The current residential buildings are no longer suitable for council tenants to live in due to a combination of structural concerns, fire safety constraints and wider building performance issues.
The new homes will meet modern structural and fire safety requirements, and would also be designed to modern space standards, with larger living areas, and improved energy efficiency to reduce energy demand compared with the existing buildings.
The second site is Ekin Road in Abbey, updated plans, published ahead of the planning committee meeting in July, propose the demolition of 108 ageing homes and the delivery of 134 new homes built in their place.
Built in the 1950s and 1960s, the estate has many of the maintenance and structural issues which can contribute to issues such as damp, condensation and mould which are common to council homes built at the time – where speed and scale were prioritised rather than building high quality homes for 70+ year lifespan. The council considers the only way to address the concerns surrounding the council homes here is to redevelop the site.
The development will offer a mix of one- to five-bedroom homes, including the first five-bedroom council homes for larger families delivered through the partnership, as well as four homes specifically designed for wheelchair users.
Support for current residents
Most residents have already been supported to move from Hanover Court and Princess Court and Ekin Road ahead of the planned development works. The council has a strong track record of supporting tenants through the process of moving out of homes that are no longer fit for purpose, often into new build council homes.
Comments
Councillor Gerri Bird, Cambridge City Council cabinet member for housing, and CIP board member said: “Building homes is costly, and as a council serving the whole city it’s right that we seek external funding to support as much of our council house building programme as possible. I want to reassure people that we remain committed to doing everything we can to secure funding for the 72 council homes we want to build at Hanover Court and Princess Court, and the 78 we want to build at Ekin Road.
“We are committed to addressing the quality of our existing council homes, building additional council homes to meet local need, and addressing wider housing supply issues, such as the need for more large family homes.
“Having these plans for Hanover Court and Princess Court submitted for consideration at Planning Committee is a real milestone on a project that is so desperately needed, replacing homes that are no longer suitable for our tenants to live in. Everyone deserves to live in homes that meet modern standards – with spacious living areas that are well ventilated and comfortable to live in, with high energy efficiency to bring down spiralling energy costs.
“I’m equally delighted that plans for Ekin Road are due to be considered by Planning Committee later this summer – which will see the first new five-bedroom council homes that we’ve been able to build through CIP, as well as four much-needed homes specifically designed for wheelchair users.
“We have been one of the top ten council house builders per capita for two of the last three years, and we are not slowing down now. We have built over 1,150 new homes, including 850+ new council homes, built across 24 sites in Cambridge. And our ambition is to build another 1,000 new council homes and 1,000 new sale homes by 2030.”
Tom Hill, managing director at The Hill Group, said: “Reaching this stage in the planning process reflects the close collaboration between Cambridge City Council and The Hill Group through Cambridge Investment Partnership, and the work that has gone into bringing forward proposals for the sites.
“Redevelopment decisions of this nature are never straightforward, particularly on sites with a long history in the community. However, throughout this process, our focus has been on working closely with the council to respond to the challenges presented by the existing buildings while delivering high-quality new homes to meet modern standards and serve future generations.
“As these projects progress, we remain committed to working in partnership with the council and supporting our long-term ambitions to deliver new homes and lasting contributions to the local area.”
Image: cambridge.gov.uk
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