Millions of pounds could be spent by the council on acquiring homes for families in Bracknell.
Mary Temperton (Labour, Great Hollands), the leader of Bracknell Forest Council, has long said that more larger, affordable homes are needed in the area.
The council has devised plans to spend £2.86 million on acquiring three and four-bed properties in Bracknell Forest.
These homes would be suitable for families of between three and five people, assuming couples share a bed.
The proposed policy involves acquiring four three-bedroom and four four-bedroom homes for families on the council’s housing register.
The council would spend £2.86 million on purchasing these homes, which would be funded through section 106 developer contributions, part of which is ring-fenced to pay for providing affordable housing.
Councillor Helen Purnell (Labour, Easthampstead & Wildridings), cabinet member for housing, said: “This addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing our borough: the acute shortage of larger affordable homes for families.
As highlighted in our Housing Strategy 2023–2028, too many families are waiting—often for over five or six years—for suitable three- and four-bedroom homes. This has led to overcrowding and hardship for many residents.
“This approach is both timely and necessary. It will deliver results far more quickly than new build schemes, and it makes effective use of funds that are ring-fenced for affordable housing.
“By focusing on larger homes, we are responding directly to the priorities set by this administration and the needs of our residents.”
The council does not own its housing stock, therefore, a ‘Registered Provider’ would be given the funding to purchase and manage the properties.
Registered Providers are organisations that own and manage social and affordable housing.
Examples in Bracknell include Abri and Southern Housing.
The acquisition policy is set to be approved at a meeting of the council’s cabinet on Tuesday, November 4.
The largest social housing provider in Bracknell was Silva Homes, which was merged with Abri in October 2023.
The agreement saw the Silva Homes stock of approximately 10,000 homes transferred to Abri.
Money for the project would come from the council’s section 106 affordable housing fund, of which £5.5 million is currently available.
Developers pay into the fund when planning applications are approved, particularly if the amount of affordable housing provided on a site is less than 35 per cent of the development.
The applicant and the council’s planning department then negotiate how much the applicant will pay in financial contributions for affordable housing elsewhere in Bracknell Forest.
An alternative to the proposed housing acquisition policy would be to use the money on new-build affordable housing.
However, the council already has money invested in such schemes, and these would not deliver the benefit of providing more family-sized affordable housing in a shorter time horizon.
