BRAINTREE Council has revealed it has exceeded its target of affordable homes completed in the district as almost 300 were built in 2022-23.

The council has said a total of 288 new affordable homes were completed during the year across the Braintree district, exceeding the council’s target of 250.

Affordable housing is built by registered social landlords, housing associations, private landlords and developers, however, Braintree Council says it works closely with these organisations to ensure housing needs are met.

Some of the schemes completed during this year included 20 affordable homes at East of Boars Tye Road in Silver End and 37 at Nuns Walk and the former Hunnable Industrial site in Great Yeldham.

The council has said a target of 250 additional affordable homes is expected to be completed by March 2024 across a range of sites including in Gosfield, Finchingfield and Witham.

Braintree council housing boss Lynette Bowers-Flint said: "The delivery, supply and demand for affordable housing remains one of the most complex and challenging issues which local authorities and partner landlords deal with.

"Since 2017 we have helped deliver more than 1,400 additional affordable homes for our residents, but for councils there is simply not enough affordable housing properties to home everyone who applies for one.

“Working in partnership with other social landlords and the private rented sector as part of our healthy housing strategy work, we will continue to focus on supporting the supply of affordable housing which local people can afford and so desperately need, increasing the options available to move people off the waiting list into suitable affordable homes, whilst making improvements to existing homes."

The council’s Healthy Housing Strategy was approved in March 2023, setting out key priorities and measures over the next five years on how it will work with partners to address housing need.

This focuses on how the council will collaborate with partners to support housing options to be better quality and more affordable for residents, improving home standards for new and existing homes in the private rented sector, exploring options to improve existing housing stock and tackle empty homes across the district, as well as preventing homelessness.