Brentwood Borough Council has welcomed tenants into the first new Council homes to be built in the Borough for 25 years.
The Asante family moved into Magdalen Terrace one of three new 3-bedroom houses built in Hutton, last week.
The location was formerly a disused parking site which has been transformed into much-needed housing with private garden space and allocated parking. The homes will accommodate residents who are in need of a larger property and who meet the criteria for affordable rent.
Magdalen Terrace is the first phase of a project to repurpose disused sites to create housing to meet the growing need locally. The next phase will see four single-storey properties in Knights Square (formerly Fawters Close) for senior residents due to open later this month.
The Chair of the Community, Health and Housing Management Committee Chair Councillor Chris Hossack, and the Mayor of Brentwood, Councillor Will Russell, officially opened the homes Friday 27 October and handed over the keys to the Asantes who moved in on Monday 30 October.
Community, Health & Housing Management Committee Chair Cllr Chris Hossack said: “Brentwood is a highly desirable place to live and rightly so but in line with lots of Essex towns, we are seeing a huge problem when it comes to affordability and house building.
“That’s why Magdalen Terrace is so important – it is the first time in 25 years that Brentwood Borough Council has built new council homes from scratch. This site was a disused wasteland, a long redundant car park that was neglected and much maligned. We have re-purposed this site, turned it around, and by working collaboratively with residents, neighbours, developers and architects come up with a pretty amazing use of space that will offer families accommodation that is flexible and convenient.”
Derick Asante, his wife Suzie and their three children Cedrick, Herrick and Penzy moved from a flat in Railway Square last week. Derick said: “This house will make a huge difference to us. We have been living in a small flat with little space and no garden. For a family of five, the space and the garden are appreciated. The children have been itching to get in and use the garden as they will finally have the space to play. We want to say thank you to Brentwood Borough Council for their generosity.”
To create the new homes, Brentwood Borough Council’s Housing department worked with developers Frankham Consultancy Group and Borras Construction.
