Six new-build flats are being bought by Dover District Council to provide more affordable homes for local people to rent.
The two-bedroom flats on Castle Avenue in Dover are under construction by GPML Construction Limited and will be ready by summer 2023.
Councillors approved the purchase at a cabinet meeting on Monday, December 5, as part of DDC’s commitment to increase the number of affordable homes in the district.
500 new council homes
This pledge also includes building up to 500 new council homes as well acquiring properties from developers to be rented out at affordable rates.
The three-storey block of flats in Castle Avenue will have two flats on each floor, each providing two-bedroom accommodation.
Cllr Derek Murphy, cabinet member for social housing, said: “Dover District Council is committed to improving the lives of residents by investing in its affordable housing provision.
“It is more important than ever to make sure we are increasing the supply of genuinely affordable, high-quality homes for our communities.”
In August, eight new flats designed to offer interim housing for local people who find themselves temporarily homeless were completed, forming part of an £8m project by DDC to build 48 affordable homes for interim housing.
In the new year, two further flat blocks are due to be completed in Dover, providing 16 studio flats for interim accommodation.
A development of 26 affordable homes in Napchester Road in Dover is also nearing completion.
These are a mix of one and two-bedroom flats along with two, three and four-bedroom houses. A five-bedroom house suitable for wheelchair users has also been built.
It’s understood the rents charged on the Castle Avenue flats will be affordable, in line with DDC and government policy.