Plymouth to receive £400k for new starter homes

Plymouth will be receiving more than £400,000 to help pave the way for new starter homes.

The Government has announced a grant of £407,825 to help Plymouth City Council prepare the groundwork for 27 starter homes.

The national Starter Homes Initiative aims to help young first-time buyers (below 40 years) to purchase a home with a minimum 20% discount off the market place.

Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Cooperatives and Housing for Plymouth City Council, said: “We are pleased to receive this funding which will help towards providing new housing in the city.

“The grant will help pay for clearing and site preparation for the new homes, at the former Whitleigh Community Centre site.

“As well as bringing forward development on a stalled site and providing more housing,  this will bring back into use a site that has been subject to vandalism and anti-social behaviour since the Whitleigh Community Centre closed in 2008.

“Plymouth City Council is committed to tackling the housing crisis, with 13,000 people currently on the housing register, and is looking at all options to deliver new housing, with the majority of developments on brownfield sites.

“The Starter Homes initiative, that enables people to be able to buy homes at 80% of market value will certainly help some people onto the housing ladder, however, there are still many more people living in Plymouth who would not be able to afford even that and we need to do more to help them. That is why we are working with housing providers to deliver a wider mix of affordable homes to rent as well as purchase to help meet a range of housing needs in the city.”

For more information on Starter Homes visit http://www.new-homes.co.uk/starter-homes/