North Tyneside Council is finalising proposals to secure the development of 40 new affordable homes in Burradon.
The two and three bedroom homes, together with a number of two bedroom bungalows, are to be developed by Galliford Try in partnership with Riverside Housing Association.
The 40 new properties will be available as shared ownership homes allowing residents in the borough, who are priced out of the housing market, to get a foot on the property ladder. This has been made possible through a grant of around £1m which has been secured from the Homes and Communities Agency. It is anticipated that work on the development could begin before the end of the year.
The site at Silverbirch, which is in an attractive position on the edge of the village, is currently occupied by vacant business units which are no longer suitable to meet the needs of modern businesses.
The development of the site will also contribute to the delivery of 3,000 new affordable homes in the borough. These are required to meet housing need and will be delivered over a 10 year period as part of the council’s Affordable Homes Programme.
Norma Redfearn, Elected Mayor of North Tyneside, said: “This is great news for residents and I am delighted that these proposals for much-needed affordable homes in the borough have taken a huge step forward.
“There is a growing demand for affordable housing here in North Tyneside, which is why, working with our partners, we are committed to building 3,000 new affordable homes over the next decade.”
The decision to declare the vacant units at Silverbirch surplus and the site available for sale was taken as part of the council’s Industrial Estates Strategy, which was agreed in September 2014 when Cabinet approved the sale of a number of industrial properties to reinvest in its remaining industrial estates.
The aim was to help promote business and economic development in the borough by refurbishing industrial units in other established employment areas that had become difficult to let. This has resulted in an increase in occupancy rates across the industrial estates from 73 per cent to 87 per cent and has also seen 13 new businesses established.
