Four families are on track to be settled into new-build homes before Christmas thanks to swift work by South Kesteven District Council to sign over the first of 36 affordable properties in a £6.5m housing project.
The handover is for the first phase at Swinstead Road in Corby Glen, being delivered by David Wilson Homes, making four three-bedroom properties immediately available to those on SKDC’s Choice Based Lettings system.
The move supports the Council's Housing priorities as laid out in the Corporate Plan 2024-27, to ensure that all residents can access housing which is safe, good quality, sustainable and suitable for their needs and future generations.
Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Virginia Moran, said the homes will be set at affordable rent levels and advertised on Choice Based Lettings portal.
She said: "The sheer number of houses lost under the Right to Buy process means the Council needs a hybrid approach to replace them by acquiring properties on larger developments across the District, as well as building our own.
"The Housing acquisitions budget was increased this year to include an additional £1m to buy the affordable properties direct from developers, and we make sure these are good value for money for the Council.
The project is SKDC's biggest investment in social housing in a generation and will help mitigate the loss of more than 40 homes a year through the Right to Buy Scheme.
Cllr Moran added: "We are committed to working with partners to provide energy efficient properties which is achieved by working with developers to ensure sustainable, affordable, and high-quality housing is built."
The 36 new homes are being built in seven phases up to June 2028.
They comprise eight three-bedroom houses, 19 two-bedroom houses, four one-bedroom maisonettes, five four-bedroom houses.
The Council continues to be in discussions with house builders about further sites in the District.
SKDC’s own new-builds include: Swinegate, Grantham; Larch Close, Grantham and Wellington Way, Market Deeping; with potential sites at Gorse Rise, Grantham; Kesteven Road, Stamford; Bourne End Road, Colsterworth.