£575k funds to build more Wolverhampton council houses
More council homes are being created in Wolverhampton as part of a £1.8million scheme, which was announced today.
Around 45 properties will be built under the proposals.
The city council has won £575,000 from the Government's Homes and Communities Agency, which has a dedicated fund for bringing properties back into use as housing, for the latest scheme. The council will also use £1.2m of its own money to help with the development.
The authority will use the money pot to buy vacant private properties, bring them up to the Government's Decent Homes standard, and rent them out to provide 30 new homes.
Housing chiefs also plan to buy back five homes which were previously purchased by council tenants under Right to Buy legislation.
The third part of the scheme will see the council look to convert two small office spaces, which will create 10 more homes and bring the total to 45.
All of the new homes being created will be let and managed by the council's housing organisation Wolverhampton Homes.
It comes after planning permission was granted earlier this month for the first new council homes to be built in the city for 30 years on Thompson Avenue in Ettingshall.
Councillor Peter Bilson, deputy leader of the authority and its regeneration chief, said: "We were successful in gaining £575,000 to help us deliver 45 new affordable homes across the city.
"These 45 homes will be on top of the proposals for Thompson Avenue, and will be something for people to look forward to."
The waiting list for the council's housing company Wolverhampton Homes currently stands at around 13,000. Bosses say they will continue to look for more housing in the city.
The scheme on Thompson Avenue will see a total of 120 homes built by developers Kier, around 40 of them being council homes.
