New homes to be made available to council tenants

Five new homes built for sale in Jaywick Sands are to be used as council housing.

Tendring District Council (TDC) built 10 new homes off Lotus Way last year, as part of its commitment to both build new council housing and drive forward improvements in housing quality in the area.

Originally five of the homes were to be kept for council tenants, and the properties were occupied upon completion. The other five were to be sold to local people or key workers local to the area with a 20% discount.

There was interest in buying the properties but largely from people ineligible under the Local Lettings and Sales Plan adopted for the homes to protect them for the benefit of local residents.

TDC’s cabinet agreed on Friday, June 17 to keep the homes as part of its stock for its own tenants, subject to agreement from Homes England, which provided part of the funding to build them.

Paul Honeywood, TDC cabinet member for housing and with special responsibility for Jaywick Sands, said the homes would be welcomed by tenants on the council waiting list.

He said: “Tenant feedback from the first five properties we have let has been really positive, reflecting the high quality of build we put in place, and so I am sure the new five tenants will be equally happy.

“Our over-riding principle for these new homes is that they served the needs of local people – so while we looked to sell these to local people and key workers in our district, having them available to rent for our tenants is still a success.

“The new-builds also represent what is possible in Jaywick Sands.”