Northumberland unveils plan for 1,000 affordable homes

Northumberland County Council has approved a new housing strategy that could see 1,000 new affordable homes built in the county over the next four years.

The council says they are now developing a range of programmes to increase the provision of affordable housing, both directly through its own activities and as part of the planning process.

Potential development sites within the council’s ownership are also being evaluated to see if they are suitable for affordable housing.

Northumberland has an ageing population with the number of the over 65’s set to increase by 42.4% from 74,494 to 106,079 by 2031. The council believes this will present significant challenges to make sure older people are properly housed and supported.

There are also around 34,000 households in Northumberland that have at least one family member with a physical disability and half are over 65 years old.

To help tackle this issue, the strategy outlines plans to provide specialist and accessible housing for elderly residents and those with support or disability needs.

Leader of Northumberland County Council, Peter Jackson said: ‘Delivering quality affordable housing is one of the key priorities for this council and will further enhance the county’s ever-growing reputation as a great place to live and work.

‘Our population is dispersed over a large geographical area and they have varying housing needs.  The new housing will reflect this with homes designed for families, the elderly, single people and our most vulnerable residents.’

The full four-year strategy will be published later this year.

In related news, the government was last month urged to prioritise and invest in accessible housing suitable for people to live in as they get older.

In a new report, the Centre for Ageing Better warned that a lack of affordable and accessible housing is leading older people to stay in unsuitable homes until they reach crisis point.

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