Record number of Social Houses built in Ipswich (Ipswich Liberal Democrats)

Ipswich Liberal Democrats <info@ipswichlibdems.org.uk>

Record number of Social Houses built in Ipswich

December 16, 2008 3:57 PM

Rawcliffe Grange affordable housing A record number of affordable homes were built in Ipswich over the past year, Borough Council statistics have revealed.

Out of a total of 1,155 new builds, 327 homes built between October 2007 and the end of September 2008 were affordable. These are record figures for affordable housing units in Ipswich, smashing the previous year's record of 190 units.

Many will be pleased to know that 98% of these new homes for those most in need were on brownfield sites, this is truly joined up thinking, providing social housing and regenerating Ipswich.

Many of the new affordable homes have been delivered as part of larger developments. With the downturn in the economy and building work on many sites being suspended, those needing social housing will fear a bleak future.

While it is true that the recession will have an impact on the number of affordable housing units delivered over the next year or so, we are all only too aware that during an economic downturn there is a high chance that more people will need affordable homes for them to be able to live in so we are not sitting back and giving way to inevitability. Instead, we are working with one of our Registered Social Landlord partners, Orwell, to deliver dozens of affordable homes for rent across the town on pockets of land that the Council owned. These new socially rented homes are not just apartments but family houses and bungalows as well. We will continue to investigate opportunities as they arise to deliver affordable homes and help the local economy while avoiding putting yet more pressure on the local tax-payer.

This story was taken from an Ipswich Borough Council Press Release.