West Suffolk Council work in partnership with Havebury to deliver 13 additional affordable homes in Bury St Edmunds

10 Feb 2025

Havebury, in collaboration with West Suffolk Council, is pleased to announce an additional 13 affordable homes in Bury St Edmunds. This initiative demonstrates the commitment of both organisations to providing accessible housing solutions within the community.

The scheme, which is located on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds, is set to accommodate 166 Havebury households upon completion. This includes a combination of affordable homes and properties available to buy through the shared ownership scheme. The council has contributed over £1 million in developer contributions, which includes £158,322 allocated from the redevelopment of The Old Post Office in Bury St Edmunds town centre.

This additional funding from West Suffolk Council has enabled the provision of 10 additional affordable rent homes, including a mix of two and three-bedroom units, as well as 3 four-bedroom homes offered at social rent rates.

Representatives from Havebury and West Suffolk Council recently visited the site, accompanied by Councillor Richard O’Driscoll, Cabinet Member for Housing, and Councillor Diane Hind, Cabinet Member for Resources, to see the new homes and the wider community.

Councillor Richard O’Driscoll commented, “It has been great to see firsthand the difference that these homes have brought to the community. We aim to help more people afford decent and secure housing, a key aspect of our Housing, Homelessness Reduction, and Rough Sleeping Strategy. Increasing the number of affordable homes in West Suffolk, including both affordable and social rent options, is essential to meet local needs and reduce homelessness. Achieving this requires strong collaboration with partners like Havebury. Today’s celebration exemplifies the success we can achieve through such partnerships.”

Andrew Smith, Chief Executive at Havebury, stated, “West Suffolk Council’s financial support of around £1 million has enabled us to deliver an additional 13 much-needed affordable homes here in Bury St Edmunds. This allows us to provide safe and secure environments for people to live at affordable rents. It’s great when we work in partnership together.”

Councillor Diane Hind added, “There’s a significant need for more affordable homes in West Suffolk, so I am delighted we have been able to help deliver this using the funds from our redevelopment of The Old Post Office. We allocated some of that money to deliver more affordable housing than we possibly could within the Post Office redevelopment—and there’s still £300,000 from the commuted sum left. We are exploring how this can be used in a similar way to our partnership delivery here, so that we can maximise affordable housing delivery for our communities.”

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