UP TO 30 new council houses could be built in Wotton-under-Edge within the next year.

Four council houses in Wotton are now set to be demolished, and their tenants relocated, to potentially build six to eight homes in their place, and 22 more homes could be built in Fountain Crescent.

The four homes, two in Bradley Street and two in Gloucester Street, have been situated on the plot for nearly 80 years.

Two of the homes are still occupied by tenants, while one has been vacant for over a year and the other for seven months.

Stroud District Council has a cap on how much it can spend on improvements to their properties, contained in the Property Obsolescence Procedure Guide, which is £30,000.

The two vacant properties require work in excess of £37,500 leading the council to consider other options.

Cllr Catherine Braun (Green, Wotton), said: “Every consideration is given to help the tenants find suitable alternative accommodation in the local area.”

“This redevelopment will provide modern affordable homes for local people – which is much needed in Wotton.

“We must be very considerate and sensitive to the needs of the tenants who are currently living in two of the properties on the site and have been there for very many years.”

Councillors plan to place the remaining tenants on the high priority list for housing – Gold level – which will mean they are the first to view suitable available properties. They will also receive funding to pay for the cost of moving.

If they wish to move back to the new houses on the site then they will be offered the opportunity to do so.

Cllr George Butcher (Lib, Wotton), said: “There is a great shortage of ‘starter’ and ‘affordable’ properties in Wotton and there is an ideal opportunity here to build some much-needed homes for our local young families and future generations.

“It is important is that the council now gets on and progresses with the site as soon as possible and not leave it for years on end.

“It now looks as if 22 new social houses will be built on council-owned land at Fountain Crescent, which is really good news.”

At a meeting of Stroud District Council’s housing committee last Tuesday, councillors agreed unanimously to demolish all four homes and relocate each of the current residents.

One of the homes has been occupied by the same family for the past 65 years, with the last remaining tenant aged 85.

Cllr Ken Tucker (Lib, Wotton), said: “It is a great shame that four of our well-known residents in Wotton, some of whom have spent most of their lives in one property, are now being asked to move.

“Unfortunately, the two properties in Bradley Street and the two adjacent on Gloucester Street, will each cost above the capped amount allowed to refurbish them to today’s high standards which the council’s’ tenants now expect.”

At a Wotton Town Council meeting last Monday, councillors agreed that they would like first opportunity to take on the site for a potential carpark if SDC found that they could not afford to build on the land – this would be before the site is placed on the open market.

Cllr John Cordwell warned at the meeting that ‘history gets forgotten’ with new planning applications, while others echoed the need for two allocated car parking spaces per home, a matter which district councillor Braun stressed at the committee meeting.

Councillors have also expressed interest in the site of Wotton Building Supplies in Chipping Close, which closed in April, for a potential carpark – although it is suspected that a similar replacement business may be interested in the site.

On the Fountain Crescent site, where 22 homes may be built, an SDC spokesman said: “The plot at Fountain Crescent is currently under offer to a housing provider. As with all developments, it will have to go through the usual planning procedure.”