Oxford City Council has approved a project to create 30 affordable homes on brownfield sites in Barton, Wood Farm, and Blackbird Leys.

Backed by an award of £340,213 from the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF), the council has signed off on undertaking legal and enabling work, including the demolition of derelict garage sites and bungalows.

The work will set the stage for a mixture of affordable, community-led, and council houses in Underhill Circus, Leiden Road, Balfour Road, Harebell Road, and Pegasus Road.

Community-led homes, where locals play a role in delivering them, are a key part of the plan in the Blackbird Leys area.

Oxford City Council has collaborated with Transition by Design and Oxfordshire Community Land Trust (OCLT) to bring community-led housing to fruition on council-owned land.

Councillor Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing, said: "Providing more affordable homes doesn’t just mean eye-catching big developments.

"We’re committed to finding innovative solutions for unlocking small brownfield sites, and we’re now able to take this work forward thanks to partnership work with Transition by Design and Oxfordshire Community Land Trust."

This follows a 2021 joint feasibility study which evaluated council garages and other unused Blackbird Leys land to gauge their suitability for new properties.

BLRF funding enables the demolition of 34 garages on Harebell Road and Pegasus Road sites, plus additional preparation work for a disused former garage site on Balfour Road.

Of the estimated 1,925 council garages in the city, nearly 750 are vacant, while the garages in Harbell Road and Pegasus Road are deemed too small for modern cars.

The council's strategy includes granting a long lease to OCLT, allowing the trust to redevelop the sites and rent out the new homes to individuals nominated from the housing register, keeping rents at or below the local housing allowance.

Further BLRF funds have been allocated for projects in Barton and Wood Farm where there's potential to deliver 18 council houses.

These new homes will be let at social rent levels to individuals from the housing register, and OX Place, the council's housing company, will oversee their delivery.

Chair of OCLT, Mark Child, said: "We are delighted that Oxford City Council has approved the disposal of these three sites to Oxfordshire Community Land Trust, and is committed to working with and supporting us in the creation of permanently affordable homes in the city."

Planning is still in its initial stages for all five sites, and no planning consent has yet been granted.

BLRF requires all land to be available for housing by the end of March 2027.