Hertsmere is set to receive 55 new homes after approval was granted for a 100% affordable housing scheme on Rossway Drive in Bushey.
Plans were submitted by Herts-based housing association, Hightown, in response to the acute shortage of affordable homes in the borough of Hertsmere.
32 of the homes will be allocated to families in housing need from among the hundreds on the local authority’s waiting list. The remaining 23 will be set aside for people who live or work in Hertsmere or who have family in the borough to buy through the shared ownership scheme.
According to figures from The National Housing Federation ‘Home Truths’ report, Hertsmere has the second highest house prices in Hertfordshire, second only to St Albans. In 2017, average house prices in Hertsmere stood at £553,311, almost 17 times the average salary for the area (£32,744).
The Rossway Drive site currently includes run-down industrial buildings and the proposals will be a boost for local people priced out by private market rents or keen to get onto the ladder without leaving the area. Hertsmere Borough Council Planning Committee approved plans for the development on 17th May.
Speaking at the planning committee meeting, Cllr Anthony Spencer commented: “This is the first application in my three years as a councillor where it has been completely for affordable housing. The borough needs this type of housing. This is an opportunity for young people to stay in Hertsmere and I really do want to help young people. It is an imaginative scheme and an opportunity that we should embrace.”
Andrew Royall, Director of Development for Hightown, added: “It’s a challenge for local people to find homes at an affordable rate in this part of Hertsmere and, with this approval, we’re delighted to help the local authority meet its targets through a scheme with 100% affordable tenures.”
