Social housing construction work put out to tender

A contract to build more much-needed social housing in St Albans is to go out to an open tender.

St Albans City and District Council is redeveloping a little-used garage site off Holyrood Crescent in the Sopwell ward.

The garages have been demolished and planning permission obtained to build two houses, both with two bedrooms, along with car parking and landscaping.

A report on the project’s progress was given to a meeting of the Council’s Cabinet on Thursday 23 January.

Cabinet approved putting the construction contract out to a competitive tender process.

This is intended to ensure value for money as well as giving local contractors the chance to bid for the work along with national or regional firms.

It is expected that a contractor will be decided by mid-March with work on the site beginning the following month. A completion date of November this year has been estimated.

The properties will be rented out by the Council to people on the Housing Register who have been waiting for a home.

The Council has been redeveloping a number of garage sites across the District which will provide more than 100 new social-rent homes.

Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Inclusion and Protection, said after the meeting:

The Holyrood Crescent development is another illustration of our commitment to create more much-needed social housing for the District.

It is only a small development but will nevertheless ensure that two more households are taken off the Housing Register and given high quality homes.

I’m very pleased that we can now move on to the tendering stage to appoint a building contractor so that these properties can be completed later this year.

We are working on plans to provide larger-scale social housing developments but will continue to deliver smaller developments when we spot an opportunity.

Councillor contact:
Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Inclusion and Protection: cllr.j.taylor@stalbans.gov.uk, 07971 906343.

Contact for the media: 
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.