Two new developments to create new council homes in Oxford have started on site.

The developments will provide 48 new homes at Minchery Farm in Littlemore and a new sheltered housing scheme at Bradlands in Marston.

The Bradlands redevelopment will see the old and poorly designed buildings demolished and replaced with 49 modern sheltered housing flats. The work will take around 12 months to complete and will be ready for occupation in March 2015.

The scheme will be delivered by the Leadbitter Group.

Bradlands will offer older people modern sheltered housing, with walk in shower rooms, individual heating systems and excellent communal facilities. The scheme in Minchery Farm will see 48 affordable family homes being built and will provide a mix of flats and two, three and four bedroom homes.


Councillor Scott Seamons, Board Member for Housing, said: "This is an exciting time in Oxford. We need suitable council houses for our residents and these two sites will provide excellent modern housing that is suitable for today's residents. The Council is committed to providing more affordable housing to meet housing need in Oxford."

The new homes on both sites will achieve Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and Building for Life standard, combining generous space standards with modern energy efficiency levels.

The two sites are part of a larger programme to deliver 113 new homes across the city. The three smaller sites will provide 16 properties and are at Bury Knowle in Headington, Cardinal Close in Littlemore and Leiden Road in Woodfarm.

The Homes and Communities Agency has provided more than £2.4m to support the five schemes through the Affordable Homes Programme. Oxford City Council is also contributing more than £17m of its own funds to the programme.

(CD/JP)