A promise to provide 500 new homes for people with housing needs has been kept.

And South Oxfordshire District Council housing chairman Mike McNulty said the efforts will go on to provide even more through encouraging housing associations, buying property, and encouraging self-build schemes.

He said: "We promised when we handed over our housing stock to South Oxfordshire Housing Association that we were not washing our hands of social housing but, with some of the profits, would provide 500 new homes. "We have done that and the 500th should be completed early next year.

"The council has 150 homes under construction, 162 approved and there are good prospects for more than 400 others on 23 sites district wide."

Housing manager Peter Benney said he was delighted that 25 new low-cost homes were being built on the BP site in Thame - the first social housing there for many years.

To help people get their own homes the committee agreed to ask for extra funds for the do-it-yourself shared ownership, where young couples buy part of their home from the housing association and rent the rest, until they can afford to buy more. And it is putting more money into its property acquisition scheme which so far has netted nearly 100 homes.

The committee agreed to go ahead with plans to build five flats - two especially for disabled people - on former allotment land at the end of Churchill Crescent in Kingsey Road, Thame.

Member Denis Strange said: "This council has a housing record to be proud of."

Story date: Monday 08 November

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