Money off first home for local people

First-time buyers with a local connection to the Chichester district may be able to benefit from 30 per cent off a newbuild home.

It comes as leading councillors at Chichester District Council agreed to introduce a local connection test that must be met by people opting to buy a home as part of the government’s First Homes Scheme. The scheme is designed to help local firsttime buyers and key workers onto the property ladder.

New developments providing affordable housing are now required by the government to provide a proportion of these as ‘first homes’. It is likely to be around two years before properties classedas‘firsthomes’arebuilt inthedistrictandreadytobuy.

The government has allowed councils to decide whether or not to introduce a local connection test.

Chichester District Council decided this week to adopt the test, which means people buying as part of the First Homes scheme should meet one of the following: permanently live within district or used to live within district but was forced to move away because of a lack of affordable housing; is permanently employed within the district; or is the parent, sibling or child of a permanent resident.

Councillor Alan Sutton, cabinet member for housing, said: “What is great is that the local connection test will applyforthefirstthreemonths of the sale, and will also apply on any future sales of the property, forever. This means that the house cannot be sold to someone who doesn’t have a local connection, ensuring thatthesehomeswillcontinue to meet local people’s needs which is good news for our communities.”