New homes for Mixenden on the way as council agrees to dispose of some of its land

The new homes at Mixenden Road, Mixenden, will be the latest result of the partnership between Calderdale Council and social homes provider Together Housing.

The 29 new homes will be affordable and energy-efficient, said Calderdale Council Cabinet member for Climate Change and Resilience, Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot).

Coun Patient, whose portfolio includes housing, told Cabinet colleagues some of the homes, 16 of which will be built on land members agreed to dispose of to the housing group, would be made available for affordable rent.

The decision will mean the council releasing the land at less than market value – an independent valuer told the authority it is worth about £136,000, whereas this agreement will bring in around £80,000 to the council under the terms of the ongoing partnership agreement, with 16 homes on this portion of land at a payment of around £5,000 each.

But it will bring in cash to the council in other ways as well as providing energy-efficient family homes in Mixenden, Coun Patient said.

“In terms of our energy use and keeping bills down these homes will be build using modern building techniques.

“They (Together) are acutely aware of the climate emergency, are doing their own work on that and making sure wherever they can that they are embedding insulation, making sure they are using the latest technology and using some of our thinking around ‘place’ to make sure this is a really decent sustainable development for Mixenden, an area that is seeing quite a lot of investment in other areas at the moment.

“It will also help us bring the New Homes bonus and affordable new homes premium income every year for a period of four years, and a land receipt of £80,000 to the council.

“That’s not considering Council Tax there, as well as bringing general economic regeneration, new thinking and family homes to the area,” he said.

The Together Housing portion of the land where the other 13 homes will be built was formerly the site of low-rise flats which have been demolished.

The social housing provider submitted plans for both sites last October.

Back in 2018, the Calderdale and Together Housing Investment Partnership (CTHIP) was set up between council and homes provider with the aim of building up to 650 new homes over a five year period using land which is already in either party’s ownership.

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