Three new housing developments will be built in Chelmsford by the CHP Housing Association. Based in Chelmsford, the housing association will build forty-five homes across Wheatfield Way, Kings Road and Wykeham Road.
The housing association recently became one of the first landlords in the region to sign a Short Form Agreement with the HCA (Homes and Communities Agency). The agreement allows CHP to set rents at up to 80% of the local market rates by utilising the coalition’s new affordable rent programme. Work on the new housing will cost around £5 million and will start in late July, with a completion date expected to be between July 2013 and March 2014. All of the new housing will be added to the housing associations landlord insurance portfolio that covers 8,500 properties across Essex and the houses will go to those who need a new home the most.
Carl Hockey, CHP development and regeneration manager, has been quoted saying: “We’re delighted that not only have we become one of the first housing associations in the East of England to sign a Short Form Agreement with the HCA, but we’ll also be able to provide people throughout Essex with a high number of affordable homes offering a variety of tenures to suit residents’ needs. Hopefully these new houses will be the start of many more built in the next ten years.”
The three developments will see three-bedroom, two-bedroom and one-bedroom houses along with one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats that are wheelchair accessible. There will also be two two-bedroom bungalows that are all wheelchair accessible built at each of the three sites. CHP are a locally managed and governed non-profit housing association providing high quality affordable family homes and flats to rent. As one of 2,000 housing associations in the United Kingdom, they work closely with residents, local authorities and public sector bodies to constantly improve the services they provide.