DORSET Council have confirmed that their large-scale home leasing plan could amount to 1,200 homes over three years, at the rate of around 400 a year.

Comments made by councillors at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening (29 April) suggested that they thought the the scheme amounted to 400-500 over a three year period.

The council will also run a pilot project, working with partners, to build affordable housing on council land, with a focus on social rent homes.

Both approaches will aim to meet the needs of residents who are on the housing register.

Cabinet Member for Health and Housing, Cllr Gill Taylor, speaking after the meeting, said: "The endorsement from Cabinet means we can start to close the gap between the supply and demand for affordable homes in Dorset. This was one of the promises we made when we took over Dorset Council last year.

"We won't turn away from residents in housing need and we need to act now to provide good quality, decent homes, that people can afford.

"These plans include supported, accessible, and adapted homes and with our information, we can determine the best size, type, and location of housing, including homes for key workers.

"We can now work towards ending the use of B&Bs for emergency accommodation, by offering more appropriate temporary housing solutions. This is especially important for families with children of all ages.

"Our Registered Provider partners currently build approximately 450 homes annually and we'll continue to work with them to increase the construction of new homes and significantly boost housing availability in Dorset.

Despite challenges such as nutrient neutrality and labour and material shortages, 444 new affordable homes were delivered last year," she said.