Date: 19/01/2010
Five new affordable homes are to be built in the High Peak village of Tintwistle, starting in March.
The houses will be built by the Borough Council in West Drive, on the site of domestic garages to be demolished.
The council will meet half of the £620,000 cost of the scheme, with the rest coming from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) - the national housing and regeneration agency - following a successful funding bid from the council.
The homes will be built in partnership with High Peak Community Housing, which will manage the properties as social housing.
Planning permission has been granted, and the houses will have been finished by next January.
Before the funding bid was submitted, the council and High Peak Community Housing carried out a door-to-door survey that revealed overwhelming support for the development. Tintwistle Parish Council and the local primary school also backed the scheme.
A Housing Needs Survey published by the council in November 2007 found a particular need for affordable housing in the Glossopdale area containing Tintwistle. In the village itself, there is stiff competition for every property advertised.
The houses will be high quality, energy efficient homes built to a "lifetime homes" standard that makes them larger than the average property managed by registered social landlords.
The properties will use solar panels and an innovative "whole house heat recovery" system, making them economical to run.
High quality materials will be used while external landscaping will be in keeping with the surrounding rural environment.
Said Cllr Andrew Bingham, Executive Councillor for Social and Community Development: "These homes will provide a small-scale scheme of high quality that will complement the surroundings while underlining our commitment and that of High Peak Community Housing to promoting sustainable communities in which local people can afford to live. Tough economic times are making it ever more difficult to deliver affordable homes as many developers are holding off starting new projects. That makes this news even more welcome.
Mark Ford, Chief Executive of High Peak Community Housing, added: "We're delighted to be working in partnership with the council to ensure that new homes are built. These new homes will be an important addition to the existing housing stock in High Peak and we are looking forward to being able to partner with the council in building more homes in the future."
Margaret Allen, regional director of the Homes and Communities Agency, said: "The level of interest has been tremendous and demonstrates the appetite of local authorities to lead directly on affordable housing supply. We are pleased that this investment will allow High Peak Borough Council to start building their own high quality affordable homes and it will help to create sustainable new communities in the area."