Affordable housing is vital

Today’s news that public sector workers such as teachers, nurses, police and firefighters cannot afford to buy homes in seven out of 10 UK towns, underlines the Green Party policy of increasing the amount of affordable homes in new developments. There is a desperate shortage of affordable homes, yet most new developments are fancy apartments out of the price bracket of key workers and young people looking for their first home. Meanwhile in our ward it has just been announced that the land to be vacated by Castle College (on the right hand side as you go down Granville Road) is to become housing. The plans are for 177 townhouses and apartments. These will be built when the new college is finished. The buildings will be up to 3 and a half stories, and they will be aimed at families as well as single people. Work on the new southside campus starts this summer. There is no housing partner as yet.

I think it’s really important that a good proportion of these new homes are affordable, and also that they meet the highest eco-standards. Where insulation standards are high the need for energy is low. Germany has set a target for all its existing homes to be zero energy “passive hause” homes by 2020-we should be following suit.