West Norfolk Council cabinet agrees to provide funding for new Hunstanton homes
West Norfolk Council’s cabinet has agreed to provide funding to help bring 24 new affordable homes to Hunstanton.
The borough council is hoping to deliver the project at the bus station site, together with Norfolk County Council.
County Hall is set to update the bus station as part of the project and create a new library, while the borough council plans to build the homes.
The borough council initially hoped to create 47 dwellings at the site, but this scheme was subsequently withdrawn due to complications with the initial plan, which would have involved relocating the bus station.
The reduced number of 24 affordable homes has since been proposed.
The project is being funded in part via a £800,000 grant from Homes England, which was awarded to accelerate the delivery of affordable homes on council-owned sites. This would need to be refunded if the scheme fails to go ahead.
When they met last week, cabinet members agreed to offer £2.2million in ringfenced funds to help deliver the scheme, which is hoped to bring much-needed affordable housing to the town.
Terry Parish, an independent councillor for Heacham who was formerly leader of the borough council, urged the council authority to consider ensuring the new homes are offered to local people first.
This will be considered at a later stage of the project.
Alistair Beales, leader of the council, said the authority has a “good history” of delivering affordable homes and he hopes this project will lead to continued opportunities to work with Homes England on similar schemes.