Councillors in Swindon are to consider buying a consented scheme of 66 new homes for council tenants.
The council’s cabinet will meet on July 9 to discuss the acquisition of the homes which form part of a housing development on land next to Moredon Sporting Hub (pictured).
The opportunity arose because developer of the one, two, three and four-bedroom homes Keepmoat has seen its sale of the scheme to a large social housing provider fall through.
Keepmoat already has planning permission and planning to buy the land from the council.
If the cabinet agrees to authorise the deal with Keepmoat, the acquisition of the scheme would be funded through a combination of Right to Buy receipts, grant funding from Homes England and borrowing against the council’s housing revenue account.
Social housing providers are pulling in their ambitions by investing in existing stock rather than new builds and affordable homes on new developments.
Cllr Janine Howarth, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “One of the key priorities in our Swindon Plan is to support everyone to have a decent home, so this opportunity to add good quality, modern affordable homes to our existing housing portfolio is one I will be asking cabinet members to grasp with both hands.
“We know the supply of new affordable homes will not be at the levels we have come to expect in recent years, so this is a great way of adding an extra 66 homes of varying sizes to our current housing stock to benefit our tenants and those who will need our help in the future.”
If a deal is approved, Keepmoat expects to complete all 66 homes during the early part of 2027.
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