East Riding Council has been awarded £7.8m from Homes England
12:04, 12 Feb 2025
East Riding Council has been awarded a £7.8m grant from Homes England, the Government’s Housing and Regeneration Agency, to develop two new sheltered housing schemes.
The two sheltered housing developments benefiting from the funding are Moat Hill, in Anlaby, and Deira Court, in Driffield. The council has committed £25.7m to demolish and rebuild the sites, to meet modern standards and aspirations.
Demolition and construction contracts have been awarded to Hull-based developers Hobson and Porter. A ground-breaking ceremony was held at Moat Hill earlier this month, with representatives from the council and Hobson and Porter attending the celebratory event.
The new sheltered schemes will feature a mixture of one-and-two-bedroom flats with generous open-plan layouts. The homes will be adaptable to meet residents’ needs as they age, thereby helping them to live independently for longer.
Additionally, there will be a communal resident lounge for social activities, and each scheme will be equipped with the latest digital telecare equipment connected to the council’s Lifeline support service. Councillor Anne Handley, East Riding Council leader, said: “These grants will play a key role in ensuring that the council can continue to invest in its sheltered housing stock.
“It’s great to see the work in progress, and I look forward to seeing the first new residents move into the accommodation, when the project is completed.” Shahi Islam, Homes England director of affordable housing grants, said: “As the Government’s housing and regeneration agency, increasing the supply of quality affordable homes remains one of our key objectives and we are committed to supporting East Riding Council to achieve their ambitions.
“Projects like Moat Hill and Deira Court are key examples of how the agency works collaboratively with partners through the Affordable Homes Programme to achieve our mission to build much needed new communities that people can be proud of.” Mark Smee, director at Hobson and Porter, said: "We are delighted to be starting on site with this project in Anlaby.
“Our business was established back in 1971 principally to provide construction services to local authority housing projects, so it’s great to be working with one of our longest-served clients in this sector to deliver a flagship, local project like this. We can't wait to see it develop."
The funding is part of the Affordable Homes Programme (2021-26), which received an additional £400m in the autumn budget. To qualify for this funding, projects must commence by the end of the financial year, with priority given to regeneration developments and those offering social rent.