NEW AFFORDABLE HOMES PROPOSED FOR LOCAL PEOPLE IN NEED
Wokingham Borough Council is considering a proposal that would bring more than 100 new affordable and specialist homes to Wokingham town.
The much-needed affordable and specialist housing could be built on the current Mulberry Business Park under a proposal being discussed by the Overview and Scrutiny committee next week.
The homes could be used for accessible and adaptable homes, care-leaver accommodation, various specialist adult social care housing and general needs homes – all for local people on the housing waiting list, if the proposal is approved and planning permission gained.
The council bought the business park as an investment in 2018 but, with the decline in demand and value of office space following the coronavirus pandemic, it is now costing the council money and selling it would not recoup the investment.
For the past three years, part of the building has been used, rent-free, by The Cowshed charity under a short-term agreement made when The Cowshed was forced from its previous private rental home in Reading.
Leader of the council and executive member for housing, Cllr Stephen Conway, said: “Mulberry Business Park was bought by the council in 2018 as an investment. We tried to make it work, but the financial climate did not allow that.
“As much of the building could not be let commercially, we offered it as a temporary lifeline for The Cowshed and I am proud that the council gave the charity three years rent-free to find a new home.
“We have a duty to find the best use for our buildings and one of the borough’s greatest needs is for social housing – good quality, genuinely affordable homes for people who need them, such as those at risk of homelessness, care leavers, people with physical disabilities and local families struggling to afford private accommodation.
“We are committed to building higher‑quality, affordable homes, particularly for people who need support to live independently.
“If we could provide more than 100 fully affordable homes in this location, it will help us to meet genuine need and reduce reliance on costly out‑of‑borough placements. It will also help us offer good quality, affordable homes for local people on the housing waiting list.”
Mulberry Business Park, which currently has one commercial tenant and one other voluntary sector tenant, is costing the council more than £800,000 a year at present.
A wide range of options for its future use have been assessed and the recommendation is for it to be transformed into much needed social housing.
The proposal will be discussed at the Corporate and Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 4 November and then a decision will be made – factoring in comments from overview and scrutiny – by the council’s Executive on 26 November.