Multiple housing associations in Wiltshire have spoken out in support of new plans to tighten housing development restrictions.

The proposal, set out by Marlborough mayor Kym-Marie Cleasby, means that going forward housing developers will need to provide 40 per cent affordable homes in new developments with more than 10 properties if they are going to gain the support of Marlborough Town Council.

This proposal comes in light of the town's state of 'housing emergency' which was declared in 2023 due to high prices in Marlborough, and recent criticism against housing associations 'putting people before money'.

Housing association GreenSquareAccord, which has previously been criticised for selling off homes in Wiltshire, says it is in full support of the new restrictions and keen to work with Marlborough Council to increase provision.

READ MORE: New restrictions implemented for housing development in Marlborough

Developments with more than 10 houses will need to include 40 per cent affordable homes to gain council approvalDevelopments with more than 10 houses will need to include 40 per cent affordable homes to gain council approval (Image: Getty)

“As a not-for-profit housing provider we work in partnership with planning authorities, developers and others to deliver new affordable homes," said a spokesperson for GreenSquareAccord.

"We support any measures taken by local authorities which lead to an increase in the provision of affordable homes.

“We are one of the largest providers of affordable housing in England and in the previous financial year, we provided 510 homes, over 90 per cent of which were offered at affordable or social rents or shared ownership.

"A significant proportion of the new affordable homes we provided last year were located in Wiltshire.” 

The housing association has previously explained that when homes are sold, these are only "a very small number of cases when a property is unsustainable".

Marlborough declared a housing emergency in 2023Marlborough declared a housing emergency in 2023 (Image: Tom Ellis)

A spokesperson for Aster Group, which has faced similar criticism, added: “We know that as a sector, we’re part of the solution to solving the acute housing shortage.

"That's why we’re committed to providing as many safe, affordable homes as possible through a mixture of tenures.

"We welcome any move to increase the provision of affordable homes to support communities and those in need.

"We’re working hard to help plug some of the gap and we’re currently building over 300 new homes across Wiltshire with another possible 60 homes in the pipeline.”