Blackpool Council to agree to invest £5.8m in 40 social housing units on new Bispham estate
“All homes will be double-glazed and insulated to meet regulations”
Blackpool’s social housing is to get a boost with 40 new homes as part of the current new development at the former Bispham High School.
And the council is investing £5.8m in the project, at around £145,000 per house.
Developer Rowland Homes has been building 200 houses on the land on Bispham Road after securing planning permission in November 2023.
The scheme, which is called Royal Gardens, is made up of 87 three-bedroom homes, 73 four-bedroom homes and 40 two-bedroom homes, with the latter designated as affordable housing.
There are 56 homes earmarked for land north of existing housing at Regency Gardens, 42 homes for the south of the existing housing fronting Lorne Road and Headfort Close and 102 homes for the eastern part of the site, accessed from Bispham Road apart from six fronting onto Kylemore Avenue.
At Blackpool’s Executive meeting next Monday, the committee will consider an agreement that the 40 new build two bed properties at Royal Gardens, Bispham, are received from the developer by the Council.
The move is being considered to add to the Council’s housing stock, providing new affordable properties to meet the needs of Blackpool residents at a time when the town is desperately low on affordable housing.
A report to the committee states: “All 40 homes are 2 bed configurations and would contribute to meeting demand for new affordable rent social housing in Blackpool.
“All homes will be built to meet relevant building regulations; with heating and hot water provided by gas boilers and all properties will have solar panels to supplement electricity demand, be double-glazed and insulated to meet regulations.
“To enable their acceptance into the Housing Revenue Account, various specification works are required.
“These relate to inclusion of non-slip flooring to kitchen and bathrooms, lighting and electrical upgrades, additional tiling to bathrooms and fencing and paving additions. It is proposed that retained right to buy receipts will contribute to the overall capital cost of delivering the completed dwellings to a standard suitable for use as social housing.”
The cost of property appropriation for the 40 units to the council’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is £5.8m.
The HRA is a ring-fenced, statutory "landlord account" that tracks all the income and spending related exclusively to managing, maintaining, and improving council-owned homes.
The council’s Director of Place is expected take receipt of the first 10 properties in the financial year 20026/2027, and the remaining 30 units when completed by the market house builder.