Flats to be bought by council for social housing

The apartments are on the new Buckton Fields development, off Welford Road in Northampton

Empty flats could be bought by a council for social housing after a deal to manage them fell through.

West Northamptonshire Council said it hoped to purchase 36 apartments in the new Buckton Fields development in Northampton.

They had been built by private firm Taylor Wimpey as part of a Section 106 agreement with the authority, in which developers make contributions for the local community.

They were meant to be rent-to-buy affordable housing, but arrangements with a private sector affordable housing provider did not go ahead.

The deal, to be discussed at cabinet on Tuesday, would see the council purchase 24 one-bed and 12 two-bed flats, that have been completed and are ready to move into.

It would "avoid the risk of these units standing empty for a prolonged period of time", it said.

The authority said 29 properties would be let out and seven would be used for temporary accommodation.

A council report said the buildings had been offered to the authority for a "significant discount" and a conditional offer had been accepted by Taylor Wimpey.

The amount it will pay has not been made pubic but it "will utilise already approved budgets" and the Local Authority Housing Fund budget from the government, the report says.