Affordable homes built on former Royal British Legion site

Swindon Borough Council is well on the way to fulfilling its pledge to build more affordable homes. It follows the completion of a new development of 14 houses on the former Royal British Legion site in Penhill, on the corner of Winterslow Road and Downton Road. Providing high-quality affordable housing is one of the Council’s key priorities and all the properties, consisting of 10 two-bedroom and four three-bedroom homes, have now been let. With the homes having been built and occupied within 13 months, councillors have hailed the project a success. Councillor Cathy Martyn, Cabinet Member for Housing and Public Safety, said: “I am delighted to see tenants have already moved into these new affordable homes. “This development is a major contribution to the Council’s housing strategy, which aims to build 266 new affordable homes by 2020, a target we are well on the way to achieving.” The development of the former RBL site follows the successful completion of 24 new affordable homes at the Hawthorns, 15 at Townsend House in Old Town and three at Brookfield, a former brownfield site. The Council is also in the process of letting a further 11 new homes on brownfield land at Bembridge and Linden Close and completing 14 new homes on the former refuge site in Cranmore Avenue. The developments are all part of the Council’s response to helping people in Swindon with urgent housing needs, giving priority to those most in need.