Provisional approval of £19 million to help to deliver 453 affordable homes – including 32 in March, 39 at Littleport and 16 at Wicken - has been agreed.
The announcement came amid concern for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s housing programme.
The financial commitment approved on Monday (November 9) is subject to the government releasing further funds to the Combined Authority.
The government promised £100 million to the Combined Authority as part of the 2017 devolution deal, which is to be spent on the delivery of 2,000 affordable homes, and is paid in instalments subject to reviews.
The last two instalments are still outstanding. The exact reasoning behind the delay in funding is yet to be said publicly by the government.
The Combined Authority says it has “received no indication” that they will not receive the outstanding £45 millions of funding for the rest of our housing programme.
The Combined Authority also says it has the cash flow needed to pay for helping deliver the 1,589 homes it has already committed to prior to Monday.
Chairperson of the housing committee, Conservative councillor Chris Boden, told the committee on Monday that “the delay of £15 million from the financial year 2019/20 has not been specifically reasoned to us” by the government.
The Combined Authority’s housing director, Roger Thompson, said: “The amount of money outstanding is substantial.”
Of the new schemes provisionally approved by the Combined Authority’s housing committee on Monday, 32 of the homes would be in Fenland, 40 in South Cambridgeshire, 55 in East Cambridgeshire, 55 in Huntingdonshire and 271 in Peterborough.
Grants awarded subject to receipt of government funds include:
Wicken: Delivery of 16 more affordable housing units, at 9-17 Hawes Lane, Wicken. Grant of £640,000 to charitable housing association, the Cambridge Housing Society, which already has planning permission on site.
March, – Delivery of 32 homes for affordable rent in Springfield Avenue, March. Grant of £1,560,000 to Clarion Housing Group for a further 32 more affordable rented units, at Springfield Avenue, March, in addition to the earlier grant of £440,000.
Thorney – Five shared ownership homes in Sandpit Road, Thorney. Grant of £237,804.
Littleport, – 39 homes for affordable rent and shared ownership in Station Road, Littleport. Grant of £1,448,000.
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