It’s been another record year for house building across Bath and North East Somerset with 1245 new homes constructed – the most in the authority’s 22 year history.
Council figures show this is the third year running construction targets have been exceeded, helping to ease the housing pressure in the district.
Taking action to deliver new homes and jobs is one of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s priorities, with targets set for delivering 13,000 new homes, including 3,290 affordable units, between April 2011 and March 2029.
The new builds are spread across the district with 398 constructed in Bath, 416 in Keynsham, 285 in the Somer Valley and 146 in rural locations.
Cllr Bob Goodman, Cabinet Member for Development and Neighbourhoods said “We know housing is a real issue for many people. These figures show we are making outstanding progress and delivering on our commitment to address the problem with 2018 seeing the highest ever annual housing completions in B&NES These figures show we are making progress and delivering on our commitment to address the problem.
By securing the development of new homes for sale on the open market, as well as making sure we deliver affordable homes to both rent and buy, the council is helping to meet the housing needs of all sectors of the community.
“Over the past five years the number of new homes built across Bath and North East Somerset has grown significantly, in fact there are now twice as many homes built in the district each year as there were 20 years ago.
“Our planning strategy for the delivery of new housing is working, but there’s still more to do. We’re committed to providing more affordable homes and, together with our partners, are working hard to meet the needs of local people.”
Of the new builds, 192 were new affordable homes constructed by the council’s housing association partners on 13 sites. They also delivered another 27 new affordable homes from within the existing housing stock. These included social rented home and homes for affordable sale, supported housing for young people and people with learning disabilities and specially designed homes for tenants who use a wheelchair.
Selwood Housing is one of 11 housing associations which make up the HomesWest affordable housing partnership in Bath and North East Somerset. The partnership is committed to securing the development of new affordable homes to rent and buy. Selwood Housing delivered 31 new homes in Bath, Midsomer Norton and Temple Cloud last year and has a current pipeline of another 106 homes being built over the next few years. Barry Hughes, Selwood Housing Group’s chief executive, said: “With house prices and private rents out of reach for many, providing secure, affordable homes is more important than ever. As a local housing association, we are delighted to be working with Bath and North East Somerset Council to provide much needed homes for affordable rent and shared ownership.”
