Combined Authority cash for five affordable Meldreth homes

Combined Authority cash for five affordable Meldreth homes

Five affordable homes for Meldreth people could be completed this time next year, thanks to a grant of £215,000 from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. 

The Housing and Communities Committee this week approved the grant to developer, settle. The grant, from the Mayoral Combined Authority’s £100m Affordable Housing programme, will make possible the five new homes at Whaddon Road. 

Chair of the Mayoral Combined Authority Housing and Communities Committee, Councillor Graham Bull said: 

“Additional affordable housing is urgently required in Meldreth. A local needs assessment found that 45 households made up of people living in Meldreth or having a local connection, needed affordable homes. This scheme for four 2-bedroomed flats will go towards meeting this need, and the shared ownership bungalow will also provide an opportunity for downsizing. settle will work with the housing team at South Cambs District Council to ensure these new homes are offered to local people.”  

The Mayor and Combined Authority have prioritised speeding up delivery of affordable housing to meet need across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and to support economic growth in the region.  Subject to a successful construction tender process, site work could begin next month with scheme completion in October 2020.  Affordable rental levels will be capped at the local housing allowance level.  

Chief executive of settle, Gavin Cansfield said: 

 “Our purpose at settle is to help people who are struggling to find a place to live, and to help them live comfortably in their homes. We’re committed to providing more affordable homes and we’re delighted to be working with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough combined authority to deliver these 5 much-needed new properties in South Cambridgeshire”. 
 
The development site comprises a parcel of land which borders Whaddon Road, the new builds in Burtons, and West Way, Meldreth.  Full planning consent for the four apartments and one bungalow was granted in December 2018.