Plans for 150 council homes costing £38m
More houses for city and Havant
A NEW £38m development of 150 homes could be built in Leigh Park to house people on both Portsmouth and Havant’s waiting lists.
Proposals have been revealed for an 18-acre project known as Cabbagefield Row, that will see new council homes built on land northof SwanmoreRoad.
As part of the scheme it is planned around 70 per cent of the new dwellings will be used to house Portsmouth families on the waiting list, with the remaining 30 per cent allocated to Havant Borough Council.
Leigh Park is in the Havant Borough Council area but large numbers of homes were built by and are looked after by Portsmouth City Council.
Councillor Darren Sanders, the city council’s housing boss, said it was important the authorities work together.
He said: ‘In Portsmouth we know we have to build so many homes to meet the government’s targets, but this is difficult to do as an island city where land is limited.
‘At the same time we know it is difficult for all councils to meet government imposed housing targets.
‘That’s why we are happy to do our bit to make sure we can address Havant’s target as well as our own.
‘We will still be carrying on building and buying homes in the city to house our homeless and to get people off the waiting list - this is another step towards that.’
There are currently about 2,300 people on Portsmouth’s waiting list.
A report on the scheme, to be heard at a city council meeting next week, estimated building 150 social homes on the site will cost around £38m, with an initial £260,000 required to create designs.
Havant’s planning lead Cllr Gary Hughes, added: ‘There is a high demand for all types of housing in the borough.
‘We are tasked with delivering 504 new dwellings per year to meet our housing need.
‘We have a moral obligation to plan for enough housing for our young people and those in need.
‘This long-standing site has been confirmed as acceptable for housing development in principle, through its inclusion in our existing local plan.’
A decision on whether to go ahead with creating designs for Cabbagefield Row will be made at a housing meeting onJanuary25.
The designs will need planning permission at a future date before work can start.