A community group is about to start building 12 affordable social rent homes for local people in Westbourne, near Emsworth.  Westbourne Community Trust is building the houses, which will be for local people who cannot afford to rent or buy on the open market. The scheme is expected to be completed in October 2025.

 

All of these homes will be 2 storeys, with 6 x 1 bed, 4 x 2 bed and 2 x 3 bed properties. Those who are interested in registering for the accommodation should visit the Trust’s website at https://www.westbournecommunitytrust.org where they can become a member of the Trust and then register their interest for one of the properties.

 This project at Mill Road, Westbourne is the result of 6 years of hard work by a dedicated group of local volunteers who wanted to tackle the affordable housing problem that affects Westbourne and many similar villages in the South of England. 

 

Frank Campbell, Chair of Westbourne Community Trust, said:

 “Young people who cannot afford housing locally often have no choice but to leave their home village to find cheaper accommodation, or they continue to live with their parents as young adults or to “sofa surf” with friends. This causes lots of social and financial problems and in the long term it affects the sustainability of the local community and the local economy.  This project is a great example of how consultation with the community can deliver much needed affordable housing as well as a range of additional benefits to improve the quality of life in the community.  The new houses will be retained permanently for social rent and will not be subject to “right to buy”. This will ensure that they will continue to be available for local people for many generations.”

Since the Trust was formed in 2018 the following has been achieved:

·         A site was identified and consultation with the local community was undertaken

·         A scheme was designed by Chichester Architects MHA

·         The ownership of the land was transferred by Chichester District Council to the Trust

·         Planning permission was obtained for the development

·         Grant funding was secured from a wide range of organisations including

o   Homes England

o   Chichester District Council

o   South Downs National Park Authority

o   Westbourne Parish Council

·         A loan has been secured from a local charity, St Mary’s Hospital Chichester

·         A local contractor, Ascia Construction Ltd, has been appointed to construct the houses

Work has commenced on site preparation and work on the construction of the houses will start in the week commencing 30 September 2024.  Westbourne Parish Council is a key partner for this project and its Chair, Nigel Ricketts said:

 “Westbourne has an urgent need for more affordable housing, particularly for one and two bedroom properties as shown by a recent housing needs survey. There are many other benefits as the Trust will be making significant investments in new recreation and playground facilities for local children and their families as well as improving parking in Mill Road for existing residents”

The scheme has been subject to full consultation with the local community and many additional community benefits have been incorporated through this consultation.  For example:

·         The local park in which the site is located will be improved with landscaping and new play equipment to replace the existing outdated equipment

·         A new storage building will be provided for the adjoining Allotment Association and the Parish Council.

·         A new gated access will be provided into the park from the local primary school and a jogging track will be created to allow the school to undertake its “measured mile” runs to improve the health and fitness of its pupils.

·         New residents’ parking space will be provided in Mill Road to ease congestion and deal with a lack of off-street parking.

·         All construction traffic will enter and leave the site on a temporary access road that has been generously agreed by an adjoining landowner, which avoids construction traffic being routed through the village.

·         A rewilding and tree planting scheme will be undertaken on a farm within the village to offset the nitrate emissions that the development will generate.

·         A range of nature conservation measures are incorporated into the design of the houses and the relandscaping of the park to encourage biodiversity.

Westbourne Community Trust 30th September

 

Page updated: Tuesday October 01, 2024