Elbowed off the housing ladder

Regarding the development of the old Soans site in Sydenham Drive for much needed housing, I would like to make the following comments. Chris Jones, Orbit’s development director, alledgedly said ,and I quote, “... a range of homes from one bedroom apartments to four bedroom family properties, including bungalows for sale and rent, with a range of ways for local people to rent or buy these new homes”.

I would like to ask what measures are in place to ensure this happens and they are sold to bona fide buyers trying to start off in their own home. I live on one of the latest housing estates to be completed in Leamington and it greatly concerns me that when many of the family houses in my location are sold off, they then appear shortly after as rental properties.

This in particular seems to be happening in the first-time buyer price bracket and are sold to cash buyers, ensuring that people who would cherish and look after these homes are elbowed out by speculators and companies.

This in turn devalues the properties of home owners dotted amongst these “buy to lets” with the constant churn of differing and often indifferent tenants, many of which have no interest in preserving the quality of the area. Everyone who wishes to should be able to have a shot at owning their own home and it angers me that many are denied that right because they cannot compete on a level playing field.

D Foster-Rooke, Millpool Meadows, Leamington