A “record number” of affordable homes have been delivered in Dorset, the council has said, representing efforts to respond to a growing demand for the tenure.
Working with a variety of registered providers, a total of 664 new affordable homes were delivered in the region during the last financial year.
The homes – which include a range of tenures such as rented and shared ownership and homes for local people and key workers – were either built by housing associations such as Abri and Stonewater or acquired by the council in the year to March 2023.
This is the highest figure since the unitary authority was created in 2019 and represents a rise of 135 additional houses and flats compared with the 529 created in the year to March 2022.
In the year to March 2021, just 301 new affordable homes were built.
Councillor Graham Carr-Jones, lead member for Housing, said he was pleased with the progress being made in delivering new homes, but recognised the “huge” demand in the light of current challenges.
He said: “Rents and costs have risen steeply in the past year, which is why it is so vital that we continue to provide the right kind of affordable housing in the right place and at the right time.
“Affordable housing makes such a difference to so many people’s lives.
“Our council team and housing associations are doing a brilliant job in getting so many homes built during these difficult times.”
He added: “They are continuing to look for new sites across Dorset to meet increasing demands.
“The additional homes enable the council to respond to pressures relating to homelessness, as well as providing support for people on the housing register list.”
Most of the 664 affordable homes delivered during the last financial year were supported by Homes England.
The council used grants and capital resources to acquire and bring some empty properties back to use, such as the grade-two-listed building in West Street, Blandford Forum.
Community groups have also come together to form Community Land Trusts to work with registered providers to provide affordable homes for local residents in villages, such as Drimpton, near Beaminster.
Image: Representatives from Broadwindsor Group Parish Community Land Trust and Abri at a new development in Dorset
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