DOZENS of houses in Bridgwater have been purchased by the local authority to be offered as low-cost social housing for rent.

Sedgemor District Council has bought 29 homes in a £4.3 million housing development to boost the availability of affordable homes in the town. 

The homes are being built on the Bigwood and Staple Printworks site in the town centre. 

The disused printworks were destroyed by a fire in 2006 and demolished in early 2007. The site has been been vacant ever since.

The homes were planned as a private open market development of town houses. 

Sedgemoor District Council (SDC) has purchased the development for £4,339,084.

The homes will be made available at an “affordable rent” through social housing provider Homes in Sedgemoor. 

Tenants will pay around £74 a week for the two-bedroom homes, which is under half of the current private rental market rate.

The houses have been designed to suit people looking for a quality, low-impact home in the town centre. 

Homes in Sedgemoor will work to ensure the properties go to people who need them the most. 

Bridgwater Mercury: The homes were originally planned as a private open market development of town houses. Picture: Homes in SedgemoorThe homes were originally planned as a private open market development of town houses. Picture: Homes in Sedgemoor

The provider's application rules will change for this development to allow broader opportunities for those in housing need to find an affordable home.

Applicants will need to register on Homefinder Somerset. The usual priority system will not apply in this case.

Anyone who fits the profile for the new homes will be eligible to rent one of the properties, regardless of the band they have been allocated.

The homes will be available from Easter 2023. 

Peter Hatch, chief executive of Homes in Sedgemoor, said: “We are hugely excited at the prospect of managing these new homes in Bridgwater town centre, providing much needed affordable housing for people in the town.

“It is the first of a series of new and innovative social housing developments across Sedgemoor that we are involved with, working in partnership with Sedgemoor District Council.”

The homes will be attractive for people who want to live and work in Bridgwater or can travel to work using public transport. 

The houses will come with single parking spaces. They will not have gardens but will come with landscaped surrounds and external cycle storage and bin stores. 

They will have internal insulation for sound and specialised air conditional to control condensation and reduce the chance of mould developing. 

They will be suitable for first-time affordable homes tenants and people wishing to downsize to a smaller, more energy-efficient property. 

SDC has overseen the delivery of more than 450 affordable homes in the district since April 2019. 

Read more: Housing development set to include twice as many affordable homes than originally planned

Read more: More than 100 new homes to be built near Gravity site