Another 24 local households on Croydon’s housing waiting list will get a new council home after a cabinet decision last night (Monday).
At a town hall meeting the council’s cabinet approved buying the 21 one-bedroom and three two-bedroom homes at Longheath Gardens in Addiscombe that have been built by the council-owned developer Brick By Brick.
All 24 homes are nearing completion and will go to borough residents in priority housing need, who are expected to move in by the end of March. Brick By Brick was set up to build over 2,000 good-quality homes on council land, including around half as affordable homes, with profits from private sales going back into council services.
Using ring-fenced money from its Housing Revenue Account, the council’s investment in these Longheath Gardens properties will be £3.6m instead of the original total of £6m. This is because each home will cost £150,000 rather than £250,000 as a result of a £100,000 grant per property from the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority. Before these grants became available, these homes had still been due to be affordable rented but run by Croydon Affordable Homes.
The cabinet decision comes after the first three council tenants moved into newly-completed Brick By Brick council homes in December at Flora Court in Thornton Heath. Brick By Brick’s first homes for private sale in Upper Norwood launched last year, and its contractors are building dozens of other housing developments across the borough. More are in the pipeline, including plans for over 300 affordable homes in New Addington.
“This decision is important because it ensures more local people on our waiting list will get a new council home of their own.
“These top-quality 24 homes are part of a wider Brick By Brick programme that is boosting much-needed supply of housing for Croydon residents, and I look forward to even more completions soon.”
Councillor Alison Butler, deputy leader and cabinet member for homes and Gateway services
