Council-owned land in Mirfield sold off below market value to build retirement homes

Three initial sites will be sold – at Kitson Hill Crescent in Mirfield, Fox Royd Drive, Mirfield and at Sixth Avenue in Hightown – as part of the council’s Small Affordable Housing Sites Programme (SAHS).

A pilot programme approved in 2018, it is expected to deliver the homes by the spring of 2022.

The council is partnering with Accent Development Consortium, which is working with Homes England to build affordable homes.

Part of the consortium, Johnnie Johnson Housing Trust has secured planning

permission for 20 affordable two-bedroom retirement bungalows for people over 55 on the three sites.

Another five sites in the programme are being assessed.

In Mirfield, six bungalows are planned for a grassed area off Kitson Hill Crescent, with a further four just round the corner on land off Fox Royd Drive.

Ten more are planned for a grassed area in Hightown, Liversedge, close to High Bank First and Nursery School.

A report presented to a meeting of the council’s decision-making Cabinet said: “Balanced against the higher than average construction costs of the schemes is the requirement to set the rent of the new homes at affordable levels, thus reducing the income generated by the homes going forward.

“Rental income to be generated is also lower than average as the homes to be built are bungalows as opposed to houses, which would command a higher rent.

“To address this, Homes England have provided higher than average grant [£1.15m] to support the schemes.

“Despite the high level of grant from Homes England, there is still a shortfall in funding and the sites are not viable should the land be sold at market value.”

Rather than withdraw the sites from the SAHS programme the council agreed to sell at below market price.

In 2018 Kirklees Council’s housing chiefs admitted their frustration at the hurdles in tackling their 13,000 people waiting list.

They revealed they would use their own land to fast-track house building in an effort to create 1,000 homes on 40 plots, including on old schools, council depots and open land.