People on the housing register in Oxford City Council can now apply for affordable housing near Oxford from the neighbouring Vale of White Horse District Council.
An agreement between the two councils means 1,100 affordable homes in the Vale have been earmarked to help meet the city’s housing need in the next 10 years – in addition to the affordable homes specifically for Vale residents.
Local planning authorities have a ‘duty to cooperate’, which means they must work together with other councils and partners on strategic planning issues with an impact outside their own immediate area.
While Oxford’s current Local Plan provides for nearly 11,000 new homes by 2036, this is insufficient to meet housing needs within the city’s administrative boundaries.
The 1,100 homes in the Vale of White Horse are part of 7,150 affordable homes Oxford’s neighbouring councils have set aside to meet the city’s housing need.
They will include new developments near Abingdon, Radley and Kennington and existing homes around Abingdon and Oxford.
People can qualify for an affordable home in the Vale of White Horse if they are on Oxford’s housing register or can show a local connection to the city through work, family or past residence.
Applying and bidding for rented homes in the Vale
Affordable rented homes will be advertised on Vale of White Horse’s Homechoice website when they are ready to be occupied. People interested in viewing and bidding for these need to apply to join the Vale’s housing register.
The Vale’s housing team will manage applications and the allocation of homes in line with its own banding scheme.
People can bid for specific homes close to Oxford and not across the whole Vale of White Horse area. As Oxford is the only council in Oxfordshire to have retained its council housing stock, new tenants will be housing association tenants rather than council tenants.
The Vale Homechoice website will give details of the affordable rent in each property advert. The maximum rent will be set at local housing allowance rates.
Affordable home ownership
Affordable homeownership may be available through shared ownership or the government’s First Homes scheme.
Would-be shared owners can now buy a shared ownership home directly from providers listed on the GOV.UK website. First-time buyers and key workers interested in First Homes should contact the Vale’s housing team for information and advice.
Commenting, Councillor Linda Smith, the Cabinet Member for Housing at Oxford City Council, said: “Oxford needs homes but we don’t have the room to provide all we need.
“We’ve been working closely with our neighbouring councils on plans to deliver homes as near to the city as possible and I’m really pleased people on our housing register or with a local connection to Oxford can now apply for an affordable home in the Vale of White Horse.”
