Council housing projects finished after long delays

The Castle Street homes development was initially supposed to be finished in Spring 2024

Building work on two council housing schemes has been completed following a series of delays.

Construction at the former Spring Boroughs estate, off Horsemarket in Northampton, and the Southbridge apartments near the University of Northampton's Waterside campus has now finished, according to Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH).

West Northamptonshire Council had previously expected both social housing projects to be completed by December 2024.

A spokesperson from NPH said both projects faced "unexpected challenges" during construction, including labour shortages and changes in legislation affecting compliance.

The Southbridge apartments in Northampton are now full built

Before the 52 properties can be transferred to the council for allocation, final planning and building control checks must be completed.

The Castle Street development, which consists of 24 homes, was originally set for completion in early 2024.

It replaces Berkeley House and St Mary's Court, which were demolished in 2021 after being deemed no longer fit for purpose.

The Southbridge development includes 28 one and two-bedroom flats.

Due to the delays, NPH said it expects some additional costs, though the final amount has yet to be determined.

Across West Northamptonshire, only seven council homes were delivered between April and December 2024, significantly below targets.

The council said viability issues with large developments had slowed progress.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council is now finalising plans for future housing projects, including over 100 apartments in the second phase of the Castle Street redevelopment, with proposals set to be presented to Cabinet in summer 2025.

The council also said it had launched an affordable housing plan at the end of last year, setting out its commitment to accelerate delivery and supply a minimum of 650 affordable homes per year by 2029/30.