Housing association increases building ambitions to 30,000 homes

WORCESTER housing and care provider Sanctuary Group has increased its building ambitions and now plans to build 30,000 homes in the next decade.

The group, which is the UK’s largest housing association, had previously committed to build 24,000 homes across England and Scotland by 2026.

The Government’s Autumn Statement this week included £1.4bn for affordable housing. Sanctuary believes it will be able to access Government grants to support its building plans.

Sanctuary Group chief executive David Bennett said: “Housing is the biggest outlay for most families so today’s announcement is a welcome step towards solving the housing crisis.

“By building 30,000 homes by 2026, Sanctuary will help increase housing supply across the country.

“Sanctuary’s size means that we are able to build social housing without grant – helping those who are just about managing – and with today’s announcement we will be able to build even more social housing.”

Of the 30,000 new homes, 2,700 of them will be social housing built without grant, which the Group is funding out of its surplus and will be managed by Sanctuary Housing. The rest will be made up of homes for shared ownership, older people’s accommodation and properties for outright sale, with around two-thirds being classed as affordable or below current market levels.

The Group’s development plans also include the building of 20 care homes.