The new homes have been left empty for months with Bellway now seeking permission to sell them privately at discounted rates

New homes recently completed at Old Royal Chase in The Ridgeway — New homes recently completed at the Old Royal Chace development in The Ridgeway

A developer has revealed that 19 new affordable homes completed in Enfield last year have been left empty because it hasn’t been able to find a housing association willing to buy them.

Bellway Homes is building 64 residential properties plus a care home on the former site of Royal Chace Hotel, demolished in 2022. But in a letter to Enfield Council the developer has admitted that it “cannot sell” most of the affordable homes on its ‘Old Royal Chace’ development, which were completed last year.

Most types of affordable homes built by private developers have to be sold to registered housing providers, usually housing associations or local councils, before they are then allocated to families in need of housing based on a set of local criteria.

However, last year the i Paper revealed that “many thousands” of affordable homes across the UK were remaining empty as many housing associations faced financial difficulties.

In total, 26 affordable units have been built at Old Royal Chace, with seven being bought by Enfield Council under the London Affordable Rent tenure, which are low-cost homes typically allocated to people on the borough’s social housing waiting list. These are now said to all be occupied.

A further eight homes have been allocated under the London Living Rent tenure, which are an ‘intermediate’ rental rate intended for people on middle incomes, while another eleven are intended for shared ownership. It’s these 19 which have remained unsold, according to Bellway.

Bellway previously won permission from the council to reduce the level of family-sized affordable housing provided at the scheme, but is now seeking a further amendment that would allow it to sell the affordable homes privately at discount rates.

In a letter to the council’s head of planning published recently online, James McConnell from McConnell Planning, writing on behalf of Bellway, said: “Bellway have been unable to dispose of the remaining affordable units to a registered provider (RP) through a lack of interest from those RPs that were approached to acquire these units.

“This has left Bellway in the difficult position of having 19 completed affordable housing units at the site that it cannot dispose of to a RP. This is not just a difficult position for Bellway, but it is also an undesirable position generally in that there are 19 completed affordable housing units sitting empty that are ready to be occupied.”

McConnell adds that, to address this issue, it will be applying to the council to instead allocate the unsold homes as ‘First Homes’, a relatively new type of affordable housing where the properties are sold privately at a discounted rate, allowing Bellway to manage their sale without the help of a housing association.

First Homes must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against market value and sold at a price no higher than £420,000 in London after the discount has been applied.

The letter says that the situation has been “very frustrating” and adds: “The only other option open to Bellway regarding the affordable housing provision is to pay the council a cash in lieu contribution. Bellway would be pleased to discuss this matter further with the council, should this be considered appropriate.”

Enfield Council has been approached for comment on whether it would approve Bellway’s request, but has not responded.

Matt Burn from Better Homes Enfield, a local campaign group, said: “In Enfield, over 4,500 children are living in temporary accommodation, making it the fourth highest in England. Meanwhile, brand new affordable homes are sitting empty and unused for months.

“This isn’t just an issue in Enfield; it’s a sign of the complex housing crisis our country is facing, and simply building more homes isn’t enough. We need a more comprehensive approach to tackle these challenges effectively.”

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