New homes on the horizon for families on council house waiting list

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is proposing to buy 48 properties when built – to help drive down the number of people on its waiting list and provide more affordable housing.

Whole estate regeneration expert Lovell Partnerships is preparing to build almost 200 new homes on the former Edensor High School site in Longton, which has been vacant for over 10 years.

A quarter of the new homes, which will range from two to four bedrooms, are expected to be made available for rent to priority residents on the city council’s housing waiting list, if the authority’s cabinet agrees to press ahead with an £8.8 million deal to buy nearly 50 homes on the site.

The acquisition will provide much-needed affordable housing in the city while bringing another brownfield site back into use.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We’re taking direct action to tackle the housing crisis by buying 48 new homes for affordable rent on one of the city’s most prominent brownfield sites. With thousands of families stuck on the waiting list, many in urgent need, we have a responsibility to act.

“By stepping in early and working in partnership with Lovell, we’re making sure these homes are reserved for local people who need them most. This is what regeneration should look like: not just new buildings, but new beginnings for families across our city.”

Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing, planning, improvement and governance at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, added: “The number of people on our housing waiting list has increased by more than 40 per cent in the last 12 months. We now have over 3,000 people on the list, many who are in the highest need categories.

“We need to accelerate house-building in the city to ensure all our residents have a decent home to live in and I am looking forward to working with Lovell to ensure this can happen in Longton.”

Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s cabinet is being asked to authorise the acquisition of 48 new affordable homes (when built) from Lovell Partnerships at a meeting later this month.

If approved, the authority would also make an application to Homes England for an Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) grant, in the region of £3 million, which would go towards the acquisition costs.