City receives six-figure boost for affordable homes

Derby City Council has secured more than £500,000 in government funding to help build new affordable homes for rent in the city.

The money has been awarded by the Government via the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2) to build the new homes, which will be owned by the council and managed by Derby Homes.

Two sites will benefit from the award. Plans to build 17 new homes on The Knoll, a long-vacant site on the corner of Village Street and Stenson Road, were approved last month.

The BLRF2 fund has awarded £367,177 towards this development, which will be used to prepare and stabilise the ground ready for building work to begin.

In addition, £203,509 has been earmarked for a proposed development of 17 affordable homes on the underused Drewry Lane car park, which is subject to planning consent.

This is the site of a former metal works, and the funding would be used to remove contaminated earth from below the surface and replace it with clean soil.

Councillor Shiraz Khan, the city council’s cabinet member for housing, property and regulatory services, said: “The BLRF2 grant is a welcome contribution towards providing much-needed, affordable social housing in the city.

“The value of both projects is many times more than this funding, but it recognises the challenges in making brownfield sites suitable for development.

“Subject to planning and a tender exercise, we would expect construction to start as early as next spring, with completions due in 2025.

“Both these sites are part of our joint programme with Derby Homes, which aims to build or acquire around 100 affordable homes per year to address the urgent need for housing in Derby.”