Rotherham Council to buy 12 new build homes to add to council house stock

The council will buy six of the new homes at 67 per cent of the open market value, and the remaining six homes will be purchased at market value at Persimmon's Highfield Farm Development.

The new development of 66 homes is due to be completed in November 2020.

Six of the homes will be two-bed bungalows, and will be let to residents over 50 years of age, and will be purchased at a discount.

The other six properties will be three bed houses, purchased at market value.

A report to the council states: "There are over 6000 households on the waiting list for council housing in Rotherham. These households are likely to be in homes unsuitable for their needs in some way, such as homes which are too small, affected by issues such as damp and disrepair, or inappropriate for someone who is elderly or has a disability.

"The bungalows will be let to those over 50 years of age or with an assessedmedical need, in line with the council’s allocation policy, and any specificclient-led adaptations will be incorporated into the contract negotiationprocess."

During a meeting of Rotherham's cabinet, Councillor Dominic Beck said: "We're doing this, not just because we're committed to replace as many of those homes lost through the right to buy through our housing strategy, but also because we know there's huge demand out there for bungalows, and for houses for families as well.

"It's a very good thing, and represents good value for money for us. The homes are due to be completed in Novemner of this year, and we'll bring them into council housing stock and rent them out in the usual way.

"The houses would still represent good value for the council, because it would be cheaper than it would be to directly build these ourselves."

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