Ground breaking on first new council houses to be built in Dover District for over 20 years

A ground breaking ceremony was held on Monday (9 June 2014) for the first council housing to be built in the Dover district for over 20 years. The three new houses are being built for Dover District Council on land it owns at Adelaide Road, Elvington.

Cllr Sue Chandler, portfolio holder for housing, and Cllr Nigel Collor, portfolio holder for corporate property, joined representatives from the builders, Jenner Contractors Ltd. for the traditional ground breaking ceremony to mark the start of the development.

Dover District Council is building the three new council houses as a pilot scheme, and is also working with registered social landlords to develop affordable housing across the district. Latest figures from the Homes and Communities Agency show that there were more housing starts in the Dover district than any other east Kent local authority in 2013/14.

Recent new affordable developments include Conquerer House and Watermark House at Buckland Mill, Eleanor Court and Bertram Court at Maison Dieu Road in Dover, and at Sholden Fields in Deal.

Cllr Sue Chandler, said: "This marks the first new council housing since the early 1990's, and will complement a wider range of housing developments taking place across the district as part of the growth agenda and our core strategy to deliver 14,000 new homes across the district by 2026."

Cllr Nigel Collor, said: "We are delighted to be fulfilling our commitment to support the development of social and affordable housing on council owned land."