Warden Housing Association is in talks with a group of local authorities about providing up to 1000 affordable homes on the south coast.
The Middlesex-based registered social landlord is also hoping to exploit opportunities in sites in Aldershot and Stevenage.

Tim Holden, Warden development director, said that he hoped that John Prescott’s communities plan announcement in January would allow developments such as the strategic site near Portsmouth to be completed more quickly.

He added: “The affordable housing element of the West of Waterloo project is going to be considerable.

“We will bid to provide that and will seriously consider bidding for the other elements.”

The multimillion-pound scheme will provide up to 3000 homes and will aim to provide accommodation for people from three local authorities – Winchester, Havant and Portsmouth.

Construction was initially pencilled in to begin in 2005, but Warden is hopeful that this will be brought forward as part of the government’s drive to provide more affordable homes across London and the South-east.

Holden also welcomed the announcement by the South East England Development Agency that it had identified enough land on small brownfield plots to provide up to 70,000 affordable homes across the region (HT 17 October, page 14).

However, he expressed concern that the proposed use of SEEDA’s compulsory purchase powers would take longer than anticipated and said that land would not necessarily be used for housing.

“There will be competing demands for the available land from industrial and office interests,” he said.

n Warden has completed the transfer of over 600 homes from Harrow council in London. A £70m regeneration programme will now begin.

Source

Housing Today