First major delivery of Council homes for 30 years
The first large-scale development of new Council homes in St Albans for 30 years has been completed.
Twenty-five affordable houses have been built in the Batchwood area by St Albans City and District Council.
They will all be made available for rent to people on the Council’s Housing Register with the first families due to move in this summer.
The homes are a mix of one, two and three bedroom properties and are located in Ladies Grove, Partridge Road and Blundell Close.
They were built on three Council-owned garage sites that were no longer fit for purpose.
The development is part of an ambitious £6 million regeneration project the Council has been working on since 2013.
A number of garage sites that had fallen into disrepair were identified and earmarked for development into affordable homes.
The Council has retained ownership of the Batchwood properties - the first large-scale addition to its housing stock of some 5,000 properties since the 1980s.
Work to construct a further 23 homes on two sites in Sandridge is due to be finished later this year. The Council will also own and manage these homes.
The Council has also been developing 34 affordable homes at seven of its other garage sites in partnership with a number of local housing associations.
Ownership of the sites has been transferred to the associations, although all of the homes for rent will go to people on the Housing Register. A few of the homes were made available for shared ownership.
Councillor Brian Ellis, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Inclusion, said:
The regeneration of our old garage sites has been a very exciting, imaginative and worthwhile project.
It is also a demonstration of this Council’s commitment to creating much-needed affordable housing for the District.
I am very pleased with the high quality of the homes and the fact that we are turning unsightly, run-down garage blocks into attractive residential areas.
The Batchwood development is the first large-scale addition to the Council’s housing stock for three decades and we can be proud of that achievement.
The Mayor of St Albans, Councillor Rosemary Farmer, will be on site to officially open the new homes on Monday 25 June at 4pm.
Picture: Some of the new Council homes in the Batchwood area.
Councillor contact:
Cllr Brian Ellis, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Inclusion for St Albans City and District Council
Tel: 01582 767621, email: cllr.b.ellis@stalbans.gov.uk
Media contact:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City and District Council
Tel: 01727 296130, email: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk