New affordable homes for struggling families in Watford

Planning permission has been granted for 30 new affordable homes after Watford Borough Council reached an agreement with a private developer. The new homes will be built as part of an apartment block on St Albans Road under the proposals. 25 of them will be provided to people on Watford Borough Council’s housing register at affordable rates that will be at least 20% less than private market rents. These will form part of an eight-storey block, while five shared ownership apartments will be provided in an attached three-storey section of the building. Cllr Peter Jeffree, Chairman of the council’s Development Management Committee, said: “We are committed to providing affordable homes to local people who need our assistance. We are delighted to have reached an agreement with the developer to provide quality apartments for families who would otherwise be homeless or living in temporary accommodation. “We help scores of families escape homelessness every year – by working with housing developers, private landlords through our HomeLet scheme, and Watford Community Housing through our Hart Homes partnership. We are building our first temporary accommodation block, with the first phase creating 36 new affordable homes this year. We hope that this will help many struggling families in Watford in 2018. .” These homes are desperately needed by families on Watford’s housing register, who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation, and unable to afford private market rents or shared ownership properties. The scheme meets the council’s guidance that affordable housing make up at least 35% of all major developments. A second block of apartments provided under the scheme will create 40 two-bedroom and 20 one-bedroom homes for sale on the open market. To view the plans for the development, visit watford.gov.uk/planning.