Housing
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STEWKLEY AFFORDABLE HOUSING SCHEME
The development of eighteen affordable dwellings in the village of Stewkley has recently been completed, comprising a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom properties with rented and shared ownership tenures. Hightown Praetorian & Churches Housing Association manage the scheme located off Manor Drive, at the southern end of the village. Hightown have signed a Section 106 agreement with Aylesbury Vale District Council, which restricts occupancy of the dwellings to people with a local connection to the village of Stewkley only. This is a huge success and a big step forward in the regional campaign to increase affordable housing in rural areas.
Buckinghamshire Community Action were involved with the project since it began in January 2004. Over the course of two years, the RHE worked in partnership with the Parish Council, Housing Association and District Council to facilitate the development process. The scheme comprises:
Rent
4 x one bedroom (2 person) flats
4 x two bedroom (4 person) houses
2 x three bedroom (5 person) houses
Shared Ownership (now referred to as New Build Homebuy)
4 x one bedroom (2 person) flats
4 x two bedroom (4 person) houses
Development on site began in August 2005 and the scheme was completed in August 2006. For more information about the project, or to register your interest in one of the units, please contact Buckinghamshire Community Action (Tel: 01296 421036) or Aylesbury Vale District Council (Tel: 01296 585360). Remember, you must have a local connection to Stewkley to be considered for one of the units.
Stewkley site photographs (as at 27/04/2006)
TINGEWICK & WINGRAVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SCHEMES
Tingewick
The RHE first met Tingewick Parish Council in January 2004, following concerns in the village that there was a lack of affordable housing available for local people. In February 2004 a housing needs survey was distributed to every household in the village. Members of the Parish Council hand collected the forms and as such, the response rate was excellent at over 40%.
Eighteen households filled out the second part of the form, indicating a need for affordable housing in Tingewick at some point in the next five years. In partnership with Aylesbury Vale District Council, an eight-unit scheme was proposed with a mix of rented and shared ownership tenures:
Rent
2 x 1 bed (2 person) flats
2 x 2 bed (4 person) houses
Shared Ownership (now referred to as New Build Homebuy)
2 x 2 bed (3 person) flats
2 x 2 bed (4 person) houses
The chosen site for the scheme is located off Gorrell Close and is suitable from a planning and highway viewpoint. Through detailed consultation with the planning department and Parish Council (including a number of open events), Hastoe Housing Association has designed a scheme which meets the local need and is sensitive to the character of the village. A full planning application was submitted in November 2005 and a drop-in event was scheduled in the village later that month. This gave residents the opportunity to comment on the application and also register a housing need.
Development began on site in May 2006 and the project is expected to be completed in February 2007. For further information on this scheme please contact Hastoe Housing Association on 0208 943 4433. You can also register your housing need through the District Council (Tel: 01296 585360). Remember, you must have a local connection to Tingewick to be considered for one of the units.
Working in partnership: Tingewick Parish Councillors with the Rural Housing Enabler at the development site off Gorrell Close (as at 21/06/2006)
Wingrave
BCA’s involvement in this project began in 2003, when the village expressed interest in conducting a Parish Plan. As the project progressed, a lack of affordable housing was identified as a key issue in the village. Consequently, in October 2003 a full housing needs survey was conducted in the village, which was later followed up with affordable housing open events in May 2004 & December 2005.
In partnership with Aylesbury Vale District Council, it was concluded that a twelve-unit scheme comprising of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units with rented and shared ownership tenures would meet the identified need:
Rent
2 x 1 bed (2 person) flats
5 x 2 bed (4 person) houses
2 x 3 bed (5person) houses
Shared Ownership (now referred to as New Build Homebuy)
2 x 1 bed (2 person) flats
1 x 2 bed ( 4 person) house
The site (located off Chiltern Road) was carefully selected in partnership with the planning department and landowners, and is large enough to accommodate further development should a need arise for more affordable units in the future. A full planning application for this scheme was submitted in November 2005 and a drop-in event was scheduled in December 2005. This gave residents the opportunity to comment on the application and also register a housing need.
Development began on site in May 2006 and the project is expected to be completed in February 2007. For further information on this scheme please contact Hastoe Housing Association on 0208 943 4433. You can also register your housing need through the District Council (Tel: 01296 585360). Remember, you must have a local connection to Wingrave to be considered for one of the units.
Soil surveys at site off Chiltern Road, Wingrave in preparation for development (as at 27/01/2006)
Rural Housing Enabler Recruitment
Following Sam Galvin's departure in July 2006, Buckinghamshire Community
Action are currently recruiting for a replacement Rural Housing Enabler. Should
you have any queries regarding affordable housing in the interim period we have
listed a number of contacts:
There is also a Housing Administration Officer employed by AVDC who
provides admin support to the Rural Housing Enabler. Please contact Gemini Patel
on 01296 585575 or email: gpatel@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk
