• Council Leader opens new affordable homes in Kettering

Council Leader opens new affordable homes in Kettering

"We hope that this is the first of many successful projects for the partnership."

Chan Kataria, emh group Chief Executive

council leader opens new affordable homes in kettering

Nine brand new affordable homes in the centre of Kettering have been unveiled by Councillor Russell Roberts, Leader of the Council.

Chan Kataria, Chief Executive of emh group, and Councillor Roberts were on hand to welcome the new residents to their homes.

Developed by Leicestershire-based emh group, one of the largest providers of affordable homes and care and support services in the East Midlands, in partnership with Seagrave Developments, the nine three-bedroom family homes have been built on a previously unused car park near the town centre.

New resident Emma Walpole is delighted with her new home. “It’s a lovely house,” she said. “We all love it here and it’s great being so near to the school and the town centre.”

The £1.4 million scheme was funded by emh group with contributions from the Homes and Communities Agency. Kettering Borough Council were keen to support the project as a large number of households on their housing waiting list require  a three-bedroom home, and as such it met local housing demand and contributed to the regeneration of the town centre.

Chan Kataria, emh group Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted that through solid partnership working with the Council and Seagrave we are contributing towards meeting the housing needs of the people of Kettering. We hope that this is the first of many successful projects for the partnership.”

Councillor Mark Rowley, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Kettering BC, explains: “We are keen to see development of new homes in our town centres and there is an acute need for good quality affordable homes. Supporting partnerships such as this between emh group and Seagrave Developments assists the Council in helping to meet some of the housing need that exists in the Borough, whilst also visually improving a run-down area.”

John Conway, Head of Housing, added: “Our work with housing association partners is a vital part of our strategic approach to increasing housing supply. We currently have around a fifth of households registered on Keyways seeking larger family accommodation so opportunities to attract government funding to deliver affordable rented accommodation on sites that would otherwise have been delivered as market housing are welcomed.”