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County council pulls out of housing company
A county council in East Anglia is to withdraw from a housing company it established in 2015 with two district authorities.
Suffolk County Council owns a 50% stake in Barley Homes (Group) Limited, with St Edmundsbury and Forest Heath councils owning 25% each.
However, the county council’s cabinet this week voted to pull out of the company and transfer its share to the other two authorities, which share many of their services.
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Richard Smith, cabinet member for finance and assets at Suffolk County Council, said before the meeting: “Through the process of setting up Barley Homes and progressing the work on three sites in West Suffolk, we have learned a lot about the respective roles and responsibilities of different tiers of local government involved in property development.
“Together, we have agreed that it is simpler and more effective if Suffolk County Council withdraws from the company at this point and focuses on its strategic role in the broader delivery of housing across Suffolk, while district and borough councils lead on the delivery of local schemes.”
Barley Homes, which was incorporated in March 2016, is yet to build any homes.
However, St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s planning committee is set to consider an application from the company for 14 new units on a car park site in Haverhill in October.
Suffolk County Council also voted today to sell two sites previously used by schools to Barley Homes, for developments of 38 and 25 homes, with 29% of these affordable.
The authority’s investment of £250,000 to set up Barley Homes – which was matched by the district councils – will be refunded by the company.
