Boost for affordable homes in Cambridgeshire

Cambridge authorities could receive £790 million worth of funding from the government for the development of affordable homes, it has emerged.

The East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) has revealed an agreement on funding with the central government as part of plans to double the number of affordable housing across the region by 2011, reports the Cambridge Evening News.

Homes for rent or part-purchasing would increase from the 4,000 that existed in 2005-06 to a reported total of 9,000 by 2011.

The scheme would provide vital assistance for families currently unable to afford a home of their own, councillor Susan Barker, EERA chairman, told the newspaper.

"Housing is a basic human right and these affordable homes will go a long way to helping those families and individuals who are currently priced out of the housing market," she said.

Proposals for the building of the new housing over the next decade in Cambridge has been opposed by the National Trust, who have protested against the loss of green land on the fringes of the city, the newspaper has revealed.

© Adfero Ltd