Affordable homes for rent milestone reached

The 600th home is one of 30 properties to have been built on the Sorby Park development in Waverley, with the council purchasing 12 two-bedroom homes, 12 three-bedroom homes and six four-bedroom homes all of which are now available for council rent.

The properties have been developed by Avant Homes and feature both solar panels and triple glazed windows.

Since 2018, 600 affordable homes across the borough have either been built by the council on council-owned land or acquired from housing developers on the open market – all of which have added to the stock of homes available for council rent or shared ownership.

This is in addition to 125 for sale homes developed by the council.

Similar schemes are currently in development or have been completed in areas such as Rawmarsh, Maltby, Broom, Dinnington and Treeton.

Rotherham Council’s cabinet member for housing, Councillor Sarah Allen, said: “In 2018 we made a commitment to support our residents with their housing needs by providing more affordable and high-quality council homes for local people to rent.

“Six years on, we are proud that we have been able to offer a range of properties including apartments, bungalows, accessible properties and family homes either through social housing, private sale or shared ownership.

“However, with the number of households on our housing register continuing to rise it’s vital we don’t take our foot off the gas and we will continue to work at pace to ensure more residents have a safe, secure place to call home.”

Avant Homes group head of affordable housing delivery, Phil Lacey, added: “It is great to support Rotherham Council in its pledge to provide new affordable homes across the borough.

“As a business, we are committed to providing quality new homes for everyone in locations where people want to live.

“Sorby Park in Waverley is an excellent example of this commitment in action.

“Rotherham Council’s new affordable homes will help grow the development’s vibrant community and provide practically designed, energy-efficient homes for the people who need them most.”