Two Rivers Housing secures grant from Homes England to deliver more affordable homes

We have secured a grant from Homes England to deliver more affordable housing in the Forest of Dean and Gloucestershire.

The grant from Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency will be used to build 17 new affordable homes at our Marian’s Walk site in Coleford. This is a land-led development that Two Rivers Housing owns outright, and will provide a mix of properties that will be available to rent and some to buy through the government’s Shared Ownership scheme.

We also received £207,772 from the Forest of Dean District Council (FODDC) to build affordable homes in the Forest of Dean.

This will be used to fund work at Marian’s Walk and support the purchase of 12 additional homes from Crest Nicholson at its Mirium Park site in Lydney. We have been working with Crest Nicolson at this site since 2020 and have already secured 44 affordable homes under a S106 agreement.

A further £90,0000 was also granted from NHS Gloucestershire. This will enable two of the properties at Marian’s Walk to be built as fully wheelchair accessible and adaptable for the future needs of tenants with physical disabilities. The rest of the properties (excluding first floor flats) will also be built to an accessible and adaptable standard that will help meet the changing need of tenants over their lifetime.

In addition to this, £295,000 was granted by Tewkesbury Borough Council to help with the purchase of a five bedroom home in Ashcurch, Tewkesbury. This is an area that is in desperate need of larger homes for local families to rent and the property will be available for bidding through the HomeSeekers site when completed.

Terri Hibberd, Development Manager at Two Rivers Housing, said: “We have developed fantastic working relationships with Homes England and the local councils with which we work, which has been key to our success in obtaining these grants.

“As a community-focussed housing association, we are committed to increasing the availability of affordable homes across Gloucestershire and the surrounding area. These communities are in desperate need of new homes and the funding we have secured will help us meet this need. We are incredibly grateful to Homes England, the Forest of Dean District Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council and NHS Gloucestershire for helping build a community where everyone has a warm, safe, affordable home.”

Councillor Adrian Birch, Cabinet Member for Affordable Housing at the Forest of Dean District Council, said: “Delivering affordable and accessible housing for our residents is important for us as a council. So, it’s great to be able to work with our partners at Two Rivers Housing to deliver these much needed homes.

“We’ve already got a great working relationship with the local housing association and have delivered some fantastic affordable, safe, and energy-efficient housing across the district. Therefore, I’m looking forward to seeing this partnership continue to deliver for our residents into the future.”

Councillor Alex Hegenbarth, Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Lead Member for Housing, Health and Wellbeing, said: “We are always pleased to work with our partners to support delivery of new affordable housing, and this new social rent property will be an important addition to the homes available across the borough.”

The grants will help us deliver on our promise to increase the number of affordable homes available across Gloucestershire and hit our target of building 1,000 new affordable homes by 2028.