North Yorkshire Council pledges 500 new affordable homes by 2029
Proposals for new homes in Knaresborough aim to address housing demand
Efforts to deliver hundreds of new affordable homes for families across North Yorkshire are intensifying.
The council has committed to delivering 500 new council homes by 2029 through its Housing Revenue Account (HRA), with over 7,000 households currently registered with North Yorkshire Home Choice—a choice-based lettings scheme allocating social and affordable housing throughout the region.
Latest proposals include acquiring 10 new-build homes in Knaresborough to address the high demand for affordable housing, with more than 500 households identifying the town and surrounding areas as preferred locations.
Seven of these homes would be rented to families in housing need, featuring five four-bedroom and two three-bedroom properties, while three homes would offer shared ownership, assisting residents in entering the property market.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for housing, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “As one of the largest councils in England, one of the biggest challenges we face is a lack of affordable housing.
“Increasing the supply of affordable housing is one of our key priorities as we work to ensure more local people and families can access homes where they want to live.
“We have committed to delivering 500 new council homes by 2029 to help meet this demand, and acquisitions such as these help increase the supply of high-quality affordable housing while also supporting the creation of healthy and sustainable communities.
“We are taking a number of approaches to achieve this ambition, including investing funding generated through the second homes council tax premium and working closely with partner housing providers through the York and North Yorkshire Strategic Housing Partnership.
“We have also recently agreed a joint delivery programme with a nationally renowned housing developer to help accelerate the delivery of homes on council-owned sites.
“The proposals in Knaresborough, where housing is particularly expensive and delivering social rent homes can be challenging, represent another positive step forward in our commitment to provide more affordable homes across North Yorkshire, and they will be carefully considered by members of the executive next week.”