Ipswich Waterfront on target for 300 social homes

12.08.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 26th Jun 2008

Liberal Democrats are trying to get more social homes built in Ipswich. One way is through requiring developers to build social homes as part of their developments. Lib Dems are pushing through changes at the Borough which will see greater than 35% of new homes developed as social homes for rent or shared ownership.

All areas of housing beyond a floor number of units qualify and now even the Waterfront development social homes are coming on stream.

Currently 134 luxury waterfront flats are available for social rents starting from as little as £53 per week.

This figure is set to surge to more than 300 as current and future developments, including Regatta Quay and Cranfield Mill, are completed.

Plush single-bedroom flats, which can cost private buyers upwards of £150,000, incurring a mortgage of potentially more than £1,200-a-month, are being snapped up for just £212 a month on the housing register and for people who require four bedroom-homes they start at just £328 a month.

Of course Ipswich Lib Dems would love to do even more to develop social homes and are currently investigating innovative plans to do so. We are nevertheless pleased to turn around Labour's dire record in Ipswich under whom the number of social homes fell every year.