New council homes to be built in Hull
Dozens of new council homes are set to be built at three sites in Hull. Hull City Council recently adopted a strategy to deliver council homes across the city.
Following planning approval and a tender process, the council is to enter into a contract with Starship Group to construct 42 homes. They will be built at Campbell Court and Oriel Grove in the east of the city, and Ellerburn Avenue in north Hull.
The new council homes will consist of 21 two-bedroom bungalows, 15 two-bedroom houses, and 6 three-bedroom houses. They will include renewable technologies, such as solar panels and electric vehicle (EV) chargers.
In December, the council’s cabinet approved a new housing strategy as it aims to meet an ambitious target of building 840 new council homes by 2031 to tackle growing pressure. A council report in December explained that Hull is facing “very significant demand for social housing”.
The report said, in recent years, the number of people presenting as homeless each year has doubled from 2,000 to 4,000. Meanwhile, it says the number of council housing units becoming available for re-letting each year has fallen from 1,800 to 1,100.
To tackle this growing pressure, the cabinet approved recommendations to procure a lead delivery partner for large housebuilding sites. This, the report said “will bring greater efficiencies.”
Portfolio holder for economic renewal, housing and organisational development, Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, said: “These new homes will provide the latest phase of the council’s successful Small Sites Programme, which allows us to unlock affordable housing developments on small, underused parcels of land.
“These are sites which really wouldn’t come forward in any other way, and play an important role in the expansion of supplying good quality affordable homes across the city. It’s yet another project which moves us closer to our target of building 840 new council homes by 2031, as set out in our Housing Growth Plan.”
Chris Dodd, COO of Starship Group, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed by Hull City Council and look forward to working in close collaboration with our partners to deliver a high-quality project. By utilising industrialised construction, we will drive greater efficiency, accelerate delivery, and create lasting value for the city.”
Supported by funding from the Brownfield Land Release Fund, construction of the 42 new homes is expected to commence this summer, with the homes set to be fully completed in late 2027.