SOUTH Lakeland District Council says 3,000 people on its housing waiting list will get a new opportunity for a home in the New Year.

The authority says work is underway to build more than 160 affordable homes across several sites.

The council has plans to reach what it calls an 'ambitious target' to help deliver 1,000 new affordable homes for rent and providing 1,000 new jobs over a 10-year-period.

It includes housing for rent, discounted sale and ‘shared ownership’ schemes.

SLDC’s says its most recent assessment of the issue from 2011 showed a local need for 3,200 affordable homes to rent and buy.

Work is currently under way in Kendal on a £10.6m development at Cragg Close in the Sandylands area, and a £3.8m scheme on land west of High Garth off Windermere Road.

The Sandylands project is a partnership between South Lakeland District Council, Impact Housing, Russell Armer Homes and the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Half the 94 new homes will be affordable with between one and three bedrooms, said the council.

Of these 24 will be for affordable rent, while 23 will be available under a shared-ownership scheme.

The Windermere Road scheme comprises 27 affordable rented homes for people with a connection to Kendal or the surrounding area, said the authority.

The development is being delivered by Two Castles Housing Association working alongside Esh Property Services, supported by SLDC and the Homes and Communities Agency.

Another 94 homes are being built by Tide and Time Homes at the former Kendal Auction Mart site and half will be for affordable rent, managed by Home Group.

Other new affordable homes are being built, or are planned, in areas including Ambleside, Sedbergh, Kirkby Lonsdale, Staveley, Newby Bridge and Grange.

Councillor Jonathan Brook, SLDC’s portfolio holder for Strategic Growth, said: “We don’t want people to have to move out of the areas where they grew up or work because they are unable to access housing on the open market.

“Providing people with access to affordable homes is a vital consideration as we look to help secure future economic growth throughout South Lakeland.

“We will continue to provide support and work closely with housing associations, builders and other partners as we seek to deliver our targets for building affordable homes which local people in our area so desperately need.”

Construction of 43 new affordable homes at the former swimming pool site at Berners Close, Grange, will begin in January or February, with completion expected in March 2015.

The plans have been developed by Two Castle Housing Association in liaison with SLDC and Grange Town Council.

And Oakmere Homes confirmed that it hopes to begin building 148 homes, of which 51 will be affordable, on a site west of Oxenholme Road in Kendal, by summer 2014.

SLDC said this plan is subject to a legal agreement being finalised for details of the affordable housing and other planning conditions, after which a more detailed ‘reserved matters’ application would also require formal approval.