Southampton City Council’s Cabinet has approved plans to build two wheelchair accessible three bed homes. The council will utilise Right to Buy money to build the much-needed properties by converting six underused garages on Dunkirk Road into council homes.

The decision to convert the garages into homes is part of a pilot to determine how feasible it is to bring underused garage sites back into more productive use whilst also meeting the growing demand for more council housing. This is especially important when it comes to more accessible homes. There are almost 20 families across the city that would be eligible for these types of properties. This pilot will provide a model for how to deliver more homes like these on small, brownfield sites in the city.

The homes have been designed as fully wheelchair accessible family homes both externally and internally, including kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and living areas that allow the tenants to live independently, even if their circumstances change in the future. Both will also benefit from private garden areas.

Converting the garages will also bring additional benefits to the area, including reducing the risk of antisocial behaviour and fly tipping, removing the costs associated with maintaining the garages in their current form and beautifying the local area. The homes are expected to cost just under £1.2million to construct with the council hopeful that the homes will be completed by the end of 2027 and ready to house families in need. The properties are expected to net the council an income of just over £25,000 a year with all rents being invested back into the Housing service.

Councillor Sally Goodfellow, Cabinet Member for Housing at Southampton City Council said: “It is fantastic to see this forward-looking pilot put into action. Making use of unused land like this will be crucial as we look to accelerate house building in Southampton. I look forward to exploring what other, similar opportunities like this exist to ensure we are providing good quality council homes to our residents.”

The proposal meets all “five missions” under the council’s City and Corporate Plan, a strategic partnership that sets out the vision for the whole city until 2035. These missions aim to create a more equal, healthier, safer, greener and growing Southampton. It also supports the council’s overarching Housing Strategy by providing more quality homes and strong, resilient communities.