424 new affordable homes were completed during 2023-24 across the Braintree district, exceeding the council’s target by 70%.
Despite the continued economic uncertainties in the housing sector, this is the highest number of affordable homes ever recorded in the district in a single year.
Affordable housing is built by registered social landlords (RSLs), housing associations, private landlords and developers. Whilst Braintree District Council don’t build homes, they work in partnership with organisations to advise on housing need, property sizes and tenures to ensure local housing needs are met.
As the Braintree district continues to grow to meet local needs, Braintree District Council has been able to increase the supply of affordable housing by securing affordable housing as a requirement on new developments through the planning process, requiring developers to provide between 30-40% of new homes being built on major housing developments as affordable housing.
These policies ensure that a proportion of all new homes are available to either rent or purchase at more affordable levels to help people who cannot afford to purchase or rent homes on the open market, such as social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership.
Some of the schemes completed during 2023-24 included 18 at Bury Farm in Hatfield Peverel, and 12 homes at land west of Hedingham Road and South of The Limes in Gosfield.
The council’s target for 2024/25 is for a further 250 additional affordable homes to be completed across a range of sites including in Kelvedon, Halstead, Silver End and Finchingfield.
Cllr Lynette Bowers-Flint, Cabinet Member for Housing, Health and Wellbeing at Braintree District Council, said: "The delivery, supply and demand for affordable housing remains one of the most complex and challenging issues that local authorities and partner landlords deal with, Since 2017 we have helped deliver over 1,800 additional affordable homes for our residents, but for councils there is simply not enough affordable housing properties to home everyone who applies for one.
“We also acknowledge the strain on residents not being able to get private rented properties due to landlords deciding to sell rather than let. We continue to do all we can to help influence national policy to address the pressing need for affordable housing, increase the suitable social and affordable housing options available to move people off the waiting list whilst making improvements to existing homes."
Cllr Gabrielle Spray, Cabinet Member for Planning at Braintree District Council, said: “We continue to play our part through the planning process to help negotiate and ensure housing developers deliver affordable housing. We recognise there is national uncertainty with housing pressures especially with the slowdown of completion by developers, and landowners deciding to hang on to sites with planning permission and not starting building. We’ve also been progressing with a new Supplementary Planning Document with more detailed guidance to support the delivery of affordable housing in line with planning policies which we hope to consult on with residents in the summer.”
The council continues to work through priorities set out in its five-year Healthy Housing Strategy, which was adopted last year. A current focus is on collaborating with partners to support housing options to be better quality and more affordable for residents, improving home standards for new and existing homes in the private rented sector, exploring options to improve existing housing stock and tackle empty homes across the district, as well as preventing homelessness.