Ashford Borough Council is set to acquire a 109-flat affordable housing scheme from developer Dukelease.
The deal for New Quarter is an £18.5m investment by the Kent authority, and represents the largest handover of general needs accommodation to be managed on one site by the council.
Dukelease approached the authority to buy the development, which is spread across two buildings. New Quarter East has 65 homes over five floors, while New Quarter West is split over three floors with 44 homes.
The proposed deal was recently approved by Ashford’s cabinet. It is expected to complete this autumn.
Work on the west wing is also set to finish this autumn, while the larger block is expected to be completed by early 2021.
The location is intended to provide affordable rented accommodation to key workers that have an identified housing need. It will also free up existing homes through transfers of key workers and, where possible, provide vacant homes for those in temporary accommodation or from the housing waiting list.
Bill Barrett, Ashford Borough Council’s portfolio holder for housing, said: “This significant acquisition is a message to those on our waiting list. We are doing everything that we can to bring forward affordable housing.
“We have an ambitious pipeline of homes to deliver many projects in the coming years and we will find innovative solutions to grow our stock levels.
“But this project is also about far more than that. As an authority, we have funded the construction of a town centre cinema and we are now investing in residential accommodation also in our town centre. We have a real stake in our town centre and a vested interest in making it a vibrant place.”
Richard Leslie, chief executive of Dukelease, said: “There has been a lot of talk about supporting and giving back to key workers, and perhaps there is no better way in our industry than prioritising lettings to men and women who have been on the frontline during the pandemic.”
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