New council housing to be released in Belper

Amber Valley Borough Council has purchased 21 new affordable homes in Belper in its £9m drive to bring back council housing after more than 20 years.

The new homes, which will be released in three phases over the next six months, are part of the new Buttercup Fields development being built by Wheeldon Homes off Belper Lane.

It follows the release of Amber Valley’s first four council homes since 2003 in March, in Kirk Langley.  Three more properties on the Kirk Langley development site are scheduled to be available from week commencing December 9 this year.

The first tranche of eight affordable homes in Belper is also expected to be available the same week, with four more being released in mid-December and the final nine completed by mid-February 2025.

The move by Amber Valley Borough Council signals the early stages of a wider scheme to once again provide decent and affordable council housing to a waiting list that totals 2070 households.

An £8.96 million fund has been allocated for housing in Amber Valley over the next three years.

Councillor Chris Emmas-Williams, Leader of Amber Valley Borough Council, said: “This is fantastic news for the thousands of people in Amber Valley seeking housing with fairer, more affordable rents.

“Although we’ve released or earmarked just 28 affordable homes thus far, it at least shows the council is working hard towards addressing the area’s housing needs.

“Our primary goal is to ensure that, unlike council housing developments of old, council homes are integrated among private homes to ensure greater community cohesion and to prevent residents being ‘priced-out’ of the communities they grew up in when other housing becomes unaffordable.”

He added: “When we took control of the council, one of our key commitments was to provide affordable council housing for our residents after our housing stock was sold off in 2003. I am determined that we deliver this pledge as quickly as possible. We have a long way to go, but every home counts.”

The first phase of eight properties to be released at Buttercup Fields will consist of seven three-bed homes and one two-bed home, with a mix of terraced and semi-detached houses.

An additional four one-bed apartments will be released in mid-December, with a further nine two-bed terraced properties set to be available for rent in February.

All properties will have solar panels to help reduce energy consumption and energy bills.

Wheeldon Homes’ Buttercup Fields development, off Bridgehill Way, in Belper Lane, will consist of a total of 115 one-to-four-bedroom properties by the time it is completed.

Meanwhile, the final three council-owned properties in Cameron Homes’ Kirk Langley development, off Moor Lane, are expected to be handed over to the council from around December 9. These will consist of two two-bed terraces and one two-bed bungalow.

Cllr Emmas-Williams said: “The council will continue to evaluate further opportunities for the acquisition of affordable homes throughout the borough on an ongoing basis.”