Council land giveaway

NEW affordable housing is set to become available after Uttlesford District Council agreed to give away land in Dunmow, free of charge.

The decision, which was approved at a full district council meeting on Tuesday evening (October 21), means that land at Waldgrooms will be gifted to a housing association for the construction of new affordable homes that will become available for rent.

Six two-bedroom flats are planned to be built, and by donating the land free of charge to a housing association, the council hope to give the sites the best possible chance of attracting grants from the Housing Corporation, enabling the construction of new affordable homes to promptly take place.

Roz Millership, head of housing services, said: "The land we are donating is our contribution to the scheme, which will provide housing exclusively for people on the district's waiting list.

"Plan applications for six two-bedroom flats at Waldgrooms are currently being prepared and will be lodged in the near future."

Cllr Jim Ketteridge, Leader of the Council, said: "This decision is great news for people in the district who are in need of affordable housing. By contributing the land we are ensuring that homes will be built for the people who need them the most, which is particularly important in the current economic climate."

Land at Manor Road in Stansted has also been given away by the council and will accommodate a short-stay hostel for the homeless, for which planning permission has already been approved.

Cllr Ketteridge continued: "The short-stay homeless accommodation at Stansted will also be highly beneficial for the district - this is the first such shelter that has been built in Uttlesford, and this decision demonstrates our commitment to helping the people that are most in need.