Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

Supporting the provision of affordable housing in the Vale

The Council is committed to facilitating the provision of affordable housing for people who live and work in the Vale.

In 2007/08 a total of 160 new affordable homes were completed in the Vale providing 110 affordable homes for rent and 50 homes for the Homebuy scheme, whiche enables people to part-rent/ part-buy under a shared ownership scheme. For more details about this see our page on Subsidised and shared ownership schemes.

The Council works in partnership with Housing Associations, who are Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), to increase the provision of new homes, both for rent and Homebuy, through new developments.

So far this year (2008/09) 33 homes have already been completed which includes the new development at Collwell Drive where Jephson Housing Association acquired 11 flats for rent and seven for Homebuy.

Five further sites are either already under construction or are due to start on site shortly. These schemes will provide a range of property types and sizes for rent or Homebuy in Abingdon, Wantage and Botley with the earliest completions taking place later this year.

Affordable housing in rural areas

The Council has been working in partnership with the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC) and Sovereign Housing Association, under the umbrella of the Oxfordshire Rural Housing Partnership, to deliver affordable housing where it is needed in villages across the Vale.  

The Vale's Local Plan allows the development of small scale affordable housing schemes, known as Rural Exception Sites, which are strictly limited to people either already living in a particular village or its close environs, or who have a strong local connection but cannot afford to buy or rent a suitable home on the open market within the village.  Often, people who have grown up in a village find that they have to move some distance away, and people working in the village or with a need to return due to family circumstances are unable to do so due to local house prices. Surveys are carried out in conjunction with the parishes to gauge the need for any affordable housing.

At present, we have two Rural Exception sites currently under construction in Shrivenham and Uffington which will be available later this year to people with a strong local connection to these villages. These will be advertised through the Council’s Choice Based Lettings Scheme and will carry an explanation of the need for this local connection.

Choice Based Lettings Scheme

All new homes are made available through our Choice Based Lettings Scheme and it is essential to be on the Housing Register to be eligible for either rented accommodation or the Homebuy scheme. For more details see our page How to join the housing register.

Help with buying on the Open Market

It is possible to purchase a home on the open market with help through another part of the HomeBuy Scheme which is operated by Catalyst Housing Group, which administers the HomeBuy Scheme and is the Government appointed HomeBuy agent for the Vale.

The latest scheme is called MyChoice HomeBuy which can provide assistance with up to 50 per cent of the purchase price.

For further information please contact Catalyst Housing Group on 0845 601 7729.

Please note that Catalyst Housing Group has advised the Council that MyChoice Homebuy funding for this year (2008/2009) has now run out. However, new funding is expected for the new financial year (April 2009) so you are still invited to register. It is anticipated that applications for this particular scheme will be assessed from February 2009. The other schemes listed here are not affected.

Eligibility for low cost home ownership schemes

Low cost home ownership schemes are only available to people unable to afford to purchase a home that is suitable for their household on the open market. In addition, applicants for these schemes should be living, and/or working within the Vale.