See answers to previous information requests

The UK government, on the 15th of October 2024, announced the release of funds to 54 councils from the BLRF with Wokingham Borough Council being one of the recipients. Please respond to the following queries below and revert via email.

1. Could you confirm the amount received by the council? £1.104m

2. Confirm what works / jobs the received funds will be used for? £953,000 to support a major housing regeneration scheme in the Borough (Gorse Ride) and £151,233 to support the development of a new flatted scheme consisting of 17 new homes (Wellington Road).

3. What are the current buildings or facilities affected? The Gorse Ride regeneration scheme is a housing regeneration scheme where poor quality homes are being demolished to be replaced with new homes. The site at Wellington Road is currently a vacant brownfield site.

4. How many houses / flats are planned to be built after the works are completed? Gorse Ride will provide 61 new homes within the phase the Council has received BLRF funding for. Wellington Road will consist of 17 flats.

5. How many of these houses / flats will be classed as affordable? Gorse Ride will provide a mix of social rented, shared ownership and outright sale. Wellington Road is 100% affordable housing, all due to be social rented homes.

6. Are they planned to be rented or sold if this has been decided? See above Gorse Ride will provide a mix of social rented, shared ownership and outright sale. Wellington Road is 100% affordable housing, all due to be social rented and no properties will be sold.

7. What is the definition of “affordable” used? Please see above – affordable housing is both social rented and shared ownership.

8. What is the timescale (start/end) for the funds to be deployed and remediation works completed? Funds have been received for both schemes. Remediation works on Gorse Ride have commenced and are due to complete June 2025.

9. Have contracts for the remediation works been sent to tender / signed and to whom or is there a proposed date for this to be done? Contracts have been awarded for the remediation works on Gorse Ride.

10. What are the identified social benefits for local people? As part of the Gorse Ride regeneration the construction contractor is bringing with them a significant amount of investment in the local community and borough, with jobs and apprenticeships for local people, funding for improving aspirations and skills for local people, and expertise and resources for local charities and schools. The development at Wellington Road will provide much needed move-on accommodation for care leavers. The scheme will also benefit the local economy as some of the flats will be designated for key-workers who earn less than a key worker income threshold and work in industries critical to the economic development and sustainment of the town centre.

11. What are the identified economic benefits for local people? Please see answer to Q10 above