TAUNTON Deane Borough Council has boasted of exceeding its target for the delivery in affordable homes in the district this year.

The Council currently has 205 lower cost homes completed against a target of 200 and is on course to deliver another 26 by the end of the 2018-19 in the financial year.

The housing enabling and development team works closely with their housing association partners and within their own development program to increase the number of new affordable homes in Taunton Deane.

The partnership has delivered more than 1,000 low cost homes over the last five years.

This year has seen the completion of several significant schemes including:

• The council’s own new build development delivering 26 new affordable homes at Weavers Arms, Rockwell Green. This includes the sale of the Council's first two shared ownership properties.

• The council delivered Moorland Close development to provide a new, improved community space for the Link Centre to facilitate their support in the Halcon area. The scheme also provides three one-bed flats of which two are general needs and one offers temporary accommodation.

• Parmin Close - the 66 unit extra care scheme with 12 homes for those with specialist accommodation needs, delivered by local housing association partner, LiveWest.

The council has also concluded the 12-month resident consultation and is now working on the implementation of the North Taunton Woolaway project.

Cllr John Williams, leader of the council, said: “Taunton Deane Borough Council is aware of the desperate need for affordable and social housing and is proud to be one of a very few councils in the South West building its own stock of social properties.

"It is committed to providing affordable homes across Taunton Deane by building its own social housing and working with housing association partners to deliver homes people can afford. The Council has made significant investments in housing and will continue to do so.”