Providing new homes
What we’re doing to provide new homes
Building new homes helps us to tackle the significant shortage of affordable housing in the region.
2022/23 was another record-breaking year as we developed more new homes than in any previous year. These ranged from one-bedroom flats up to a large five-bedroom adapted house, helping us meet a wide variety of housing needs.
How are new homes delivered?
Our new build homes are a combination of housing we develop ourselves supported by some grant funding from Homes England, and homes bought at a discount from private housing developers on their own sites through what are known as Section 106 Affordable Housing Agreements.
Meeting a wide range of housing needs
New builds help us offer more housing choice by developing homes with a mix of tenures, including affordable rent, shared ownership, and a new tenure we’ve introduced this year, Rent to Buy. Rent to Buy offers the opportunity for customers to rent the property for a five-year period and then have the option to purchase it.
This approach has enabled us to provide a home for a wide range of individuals and families in different circumstances, but all in need of suitable affordable accommodation.
During the year we’ve completed 210 new energy-efficient homes and work started on a further 234 homes on various sites.
As of 31 March 2023, we’ve 442 properties under construction, which includes a mix of bungalows, apartments and houses to meet a wide range of housing needs.
We’re also looking forward to the completion of our first extra care scheme at Lever Gardens Court and we’re aiming for a further 215 new homes to be completed by March 2024.
Improving energy performance and lowering bills
Our new build properties are all constructed to the latest building regulations, meaning that levels of insulation are higher and running costs lower.
Innovative technologies, such as air source heat pumps, have also been introduced in some new homes to help reduce running costs and carbon dioxide emissions, an area we’ll continue to focus on.
How new build benefits our whole community
Developing new build properties increases the number of homes we have available, which in turn allows us to generate more income through rent and sales of shared ownership homes. This enables further investment in both our existing housing stock and our valuable work in communities.
We’ll continue to strive to increase the number of new properties we develop year-on-year as we previously pledged and achieved this year.
Finding a home for rent
Once completed, we advertise new homes for rent through the Homes for Bolton website at www.homesforbolton.org.uk, or other local choice based letting systems where we have properties.
You can also get more information about what’s involved and what you can expect here www.boltonathome.org.uk/apply-for-a-home
Finding a home for shared ownership
We market our shared ownership properties under the name Stonecross Homes. For more information on Stonecross Homes, available properties and shared ownership, please visit www.stonecrosshomes.co.uk
“Glad to be in the new property where I feel secure and the first place I can call ‘my home’ after moving around so much previously.”