Older homes being sold off, says Dorset councillor
The councillor says there may be others which he is unaware of
Decent family-sized homes, are being sold off on a Weymouth housing estate with little, or no re-investment in the area – according to a Dorset councillor.
Littlemoor and Preston Conservative Cllr Louie O’Leary says the Aster housing group have been selling off older properties, suitable for larger families, and then investing the proceeds elsewhere.
A similar situation is said to be happening in and around Swanage.
Cllr O’Leary has a list of homes which have been, or are being sold, including properties in Louviers Road, Canberra Road, Culliford Way and a fire-damaged bungalow in Rockhampton Close.
The ward councillor says there may be others which he is unaware of.
He says that where sales take place the proceeds ought to be invested back into the immediate area.
An Aster Group spokesperson says that it does re-invest in Dorset properties, including 30 in South Dorset this year, although the group does not directly address Cllr O’Leary’s concerns specifically about Littlemoor.
Said a statement from the housing group: “We regularly review our homes to make sure they are safe, well maintained, comfortable, and affordable for our customers to run.
“In a very small number of cases, we take the difficult decision to sell a property if it no longer meets modern living standards, based on factors like investment needs, our customer experience, and energy performance. All homes, including those in Littlemoor, Weymouth, and Swanage, have been carefully assessed against these measures.
“Proceeds from sales are reinvested into building and maintaining more modern, energy-efficient, affordable homes, which means we can provide more families with quality housing. We’re actively investing in Dorset, with over 500 new affordable, sustainable homes planned, including 30 in South Dorset this year.
“We’re always keen to identify new opportunities across all of our operating areas, working with Local Authorities, Parish Councils and Community Land Trusts.”
Cllr O’Leary says despite the Aster re-assurance he remain concerned about the policy to dispose of homes which are costly to bring up to modern standards: “The houses had long term residents in them. They then say they are investing the money in new stock but we aren’t seeing it locally,” he said.
Aster say properties for disposal are selected on a number of criteria, not on their specific location:
“Every property selected to be released must fulfil a set criteria – including investment needs, customer experience, and sustainability potential. We also consider wider factors such as long-term energy performance and maintenance needs. We can provide assurance that properties are not selected based on their location,” said a regional housing director in reply to one of Cllr O’Leary’s questions.
The housing group claims that some of the houses which have been sold are likely to be affordable for first-time buyers, although conceding that in a few cases a lot of work might be needed to make them mortgageable – with at least one of the Littlemoor properties sold to a cash buyer.
“As a result of the sales we make, we are able to build more homes than we sell, providing more families with affordable housing and meeting our vision that ‘everyone has a home’” said the director."