Maidstone Borough Council has bought the former Springfield Library site on Sandling Road so it can start delivering on its promise to provide 1,000 new affordable homes.

Council leader David Burton set an ambition to acquire 1,000 homes in September last year, which would be reserved for Maidstone residents at affordable rents.

The policy won cross-party support.

Cllr Burton said: “I am really delighted that we have been able to acquire this site.

“This is a great first step in delivering the additional 1,000 affordable homes to Maidstone residents.

“The private sales and private hire market is simply beyond the reach of many, so the council needs to increase its own stock.

“We all know the financial pressure we are all under at the moment, so being able to provide affordable housing to local people is vital.”

He said: “Acquiring such a number of homes has proven to be difficult. Although we observe large-scale constructions in our district, they are almost always already sold. Therefore, we continue to acquire sites to build our own.

“The side benefit of this is that we’ll be tackling sites that aren’t usually put forward by the private sector, so we’ll also be doing neighborhood regeneration and improvements at the same time.

“We are committed to providing a high quality solution for this brownfield site, which has been vacant for many years, and we hope this new development will make a huge difference to the lives of members of the local community as well as those who will live there. in these new homes.

“It’s still very early. However, we will be working on a planning application for a mixed affordable/private residential development over the next six months. We will then present our proposed plans to local residents and the wider community before submitting the application, giving residents the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposals.

“We need more affordable housing in Maidstone for locals. We will ensure that those who cannot afford to buy or rent privately have the opportunity to live in one of the 1,000 affordable homes we plan to provide.”

The 1,000 affordable homes will be included in Maidstone’s overall housing target set by the government, not in addition.

An ‘affordable home’ is considered to be one where the typical rent for a three-bedroom property would be £975 per month, which is the local rent allowance level. Families unable to afford housing costs can usually receive support up to this level.

The former 16-storey KCC Library Tower in Ringlestone was erected in 1966 and demolished in April that year.