New Coventry housing scheme aims to free up under-occupied homes
A housing scheme of mainly two bedroom homes is to open in the city.
Originally built for private sale by Cassidy Developments, the scheme has been bought by Mercian Housing Association using money from a Government initiative to bring into use property that was built for sale, but because of the economic downturn, cannot be sold.
In an initiative developed by the Council, it is being used to entice people over 55 to consider down-sizing from their three or four bedroom Housing Association homes, especially if sons or daughters have now moved on.
Williamson Court in Earlsdon has been funded with the aid of a grant of £4.175m from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). The scheme involves Mercian Housing Association and is being co-ordinated by Coventry City Council.
The scheme consists of 46 units of 40 x two bed units and 6 x one bed units for people over 55. There is also a separate block of 6 units (all two bedrooms) that is for the use of residents with learning difficulties.
Williamson Court is targeting people in larger housing association homes to consider moving to the smaller new properties in Earlsdon, just off High Street and Warwick Street. Mercian Housing Association owns properties across the West Midlands and will manage the homes.
Councillor Nigel Lee, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Housing and Sustainability for the Council said that the scheme was a great incentive for people.
He said: "We are delighted that the Homes and Communities Agency have put £4.175m into the scheme. It's the largest allocation we have secured for a Coventry scheme and I'm sure that there will be a lot of take-up for the homes."
"There are many mums and dad's living in three and four bedroom Housing Association properties after their children have moved away. If we can offer them an incentive of good quality smaller homes it would then free up a home for a young family to use.
"Williamson Court offers quality rented homes in a nice area of the city. It's a great incentive and the knock-on effect is to free up bigger homes for families." He added.
Cllr Lee also said: "We have made contact with the main Registered Social Landlords in the city to see if we can identify potential eligible residents who fit the criteria."
John Downs, Head of Housing Services at Mercian said: "We are really pleased to be working with Coventry City Council to help people who may be struggling to look after bigger homes or want to move to somewhere smaller. Williamson Court is an excellent development, in a popular area and we're really looking forward to managing it."
Simon Lett, Investment and Regeneration Manager for the HCA, said: “We are pleased to invest in Williamson Court. The scheme matches our criteria to support high quality, affordable homes to meet local needs, plus it has the added benefit of freeing up more family homes to make better use of the local housing stock.”
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For more details contact Mercian Housing Association's Letting Team on 0121 322 7331.