10 Jan Proposal for affordable new town centre homes in Crawley

Crawley Borough Council and the Affordable Housing and Healthcare Group (AHH) are working in partnership on a scheme to deliver more than 300 new affordable homes, as part of a £100m town centre regeneration project.

AHH will develop a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom apartments on the site at Telford Place, subject to planning permission. The site, which is currently owned by the council and in use as a temporary car park, is being sold to AHH to deliver this mixed tenure affordable housing scheme.

The proposal is for a residential-led community providing affordable apartments with communal facilities, under-croft parking and landscaped grounds, which includes a new access road leading in from Haslett Avenue East.

The new homes that are to be delivered by AHH would consist of shared ownership for first-time buyers, shared ownership for older persons as well as affordable rented homes operated by the council. AHH would operate the shared ownership properties.

The proposed development is complemented by the recently completed Eastern Gateway public realm scheme and the forthcoming Crawley Station Gateway scheme, both part of the £73 million Crawley Growth Programme, which is unlocking jobs, business space and home building in the town through major infrastructure improvements.

Councillor Sandra Buck, Cabinet member for Housing at Crawley Borough Council, said: “This potential development is very exciting for us. It could see much-needed affordable housing delivered while transforming a major town centre gateway site.

“Another bonus is the potential inclusion of ‘later living shared ownership’ on the site, which would be a first for the area.”

AHH is a social infrastructure group that invests in the creation and long-term holding of shared ownership housing. The company has created a family of affordable retirement living communities around the UK, as well as building, owning and operating care homes.

Patrick Gough, AHH’s Head of Community Engagement, said: “It’s exciting to be part of this visionary town centre project and we look forward to working with Crawley Borough Council to transform Telford Place into high-quality affordable housing, which will be at the heart of a thriving community.

“This investment will create more jobs and training opportunities and provide much-needed new homes. We pride ourselves on communicating, engaging, and listening to the views of local residents and we look forward to meeting and engaging with the community of Crawley over the coming weeks and months.”

A planning application is expected to be submitted in 2023.