A PROGRAMME of council house building will see a total of 105 new family homes built in Bournemouth.

Seventeen new affordable homes will be built at Craigmoore Avenue and Bradpole Road in Strouden Park but the council is refusing to specify where the other 10 sites are.

The council has been offered a Homes and Communities Agency grant of £1.695m to build the properties, providing it acts quickly and can sign a contract with the HCA by next month.

A report going to cabinet on Wednesday, February 15, states: “There is a significant and growing need for affordable family housing in Bournemouth. However, market conditions, reduced grant funding and slow new build starts have markedly reduced the opportunity to deliver against this need.

“Provision in recent years has been limited to smaller flats rather than family accommodation. There is a need for more family sized homes in order to reduce the amount of time that households with this need are waiting on the housing register.”

As well as building more family homes, the council is seeking to change its housing allocation policy so locals get priority status.

Councillor John Beesley, deputy leader of Bournemouth Council, said: “One of the council’s key priorities is to provide more affordable housing in Bournemouth.

“In particular, we are committed to, and acknowledge the need for more affordable family accommodation as well as actively reducing the wait on the council housing register for family homes.

“This opportunity to provide more council housing is one that we want to progress as soon as possible in order to secure the vital funding to allow us to deliver more homes for Bournemouth residents.”