SIX council houses in Northampton finally built after plans were first submitted nearly five years ago
SIX council houses have finally been built after plans were first submitted nearly five years ago – but residents are unlikely to be moving in for Christmas.
The homes in Ringway, Briar Hill, have been completed – including the new 15-space car park – according to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC).
A WNC spokeswoman said: “This scheme was completed earlier this month, and properties are now being allocated.”
Despite the scheme being complete, the homes and car park were still fenced off at the time of writing (December 12).
Independent councillor Julie Davenport (Delapre and Rushmere ward) said: “It is so sad that these six much-needed four-bedroom houses are still vacant. I have been chasing them for months because residents who are homeless or overcrowded are desperate to get a chance to bid on them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they will be in by Christmas now, even though on October 27 I was told they would be in by Christmas. I am still chasing WNC/NPH for move-in dates.”
The councillor added: “Parking has been an issue for some time for residents in the street. They were very happy to hear that additional parking was being installed for them at the same time the new houses were being built. The car park has been finished for weeks but, like the houses, it has been left unused and fenced off.”
Plans were first submitted in April 2021 by Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH), WNC’s housing provider. They were approved more than a year later, in July 2022, but construction only started in spring 2024.
NPH was the original applicant, but the project was, at some point, passed over to WNC.
The council says the final account will be available in spring 2026. WNC has been asked why it took two years for work to begin.
In 2024, under the previous Conservative council, the Regulator of Social Housing issued a C3 notice, indicating “serious failings” in how NPH was complying with home safety and quality standards. Last month (November), WNC’s cabinet approved a phased plan to bring the management of its social housing stock back in-house, in a bid to improve those failing standards.