Work is taking place to deliver on an ambitious project to build nearly 800 new council homes in Reading.
Recently, councillors and staff celebrated the completion of 46 new council homes in Coley Park as part of a regeneration of the area.
That is part of a wider programme to build nearly 800 council homes that has been ongoing since 2014.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke with Matt Yeo, the lead councillor for housing, about what’s next for the newbuild council housing programme going forward.
Speaking at the completion of the new homes in Coley, councillor Yeo (Labour, Caversham) said: “Contractors should be due to start on Battle Street at the old swimming pool site.
“We’re going there this month with the ward councillors so that they can have a look at it.
“The aim is to start fairly soon, either next quarter or over the summer.
“In Hexham Road, we went to do a topping-out ceremony, and in Dwyer Road, we went and laid the first brick. So they’re a little bit further ahead.”
The development in Battle Street involves building 62 new affordable council homes on the former Central Pool site, and in Dwyer Road, 30 new homes are being built, with construction beginning last December.
In Hexham Road, the council held the topping-out ceremony for 42 new one-bed retirement homes and a Day Opportunities Centre contained in one new building.
Once complete, these developments will be submitted to the UK Housing Awards competition in recognition of the high standards achieved.
While these developments are in progress, the council is seeking more opportunities to build affordable homes.
Cllr Yeo explained: “There’s also more coming down the line. We’ve got some small sites.
“There’s one near the start of Caversham, there’s a small site in Caversham Road where that’s going to be refurbished.
“But then there’s the Dee Park regeneration that will be completed as well.
“With all that, the aim is to get them done by 2029.
“There’ll be a big set of new plans for further developments.
“One of the things is that the government wants us to build more, so we’re going to be looking at bigger projects down the line when we can.
“This is sort of the next three or four years in terms of how you can set a budget, and then there’s bigger stuff after that.”
Contractors are also building 17 homes and a respite facility in Amethyst Lane, where worker Andrian Gherasim died after falling through a trench last February.
Cllr Yeo said: “The project goes on; it was obviously a tragic event.”
The council’s newbuild programme aims to deliver 783 homes from 2014 to 2029.
Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central, brought up the programme in parliament.
He said: “The council has built 46 new council houses, on their own land, part of a programme to build nearly 800, so there are local authorities that are able to grip this.”
Mr Rodda said this during a debate about local government finance on Wednesday, February 11.
As well as creating new homes, the council is making improvements to its existing stock in Dee Park, Hexham Road, and the Coley high-rise flats.
