40 affordable homes for veterans proposed near Colchester

Matthew Bell, 54, of Wiltshire, is a social entrepreneur and specialist property developer who is looking to invest around £10million to £16million in the area.

With his firm Our Enterprise and charity Entrain Space, Mr Bell is actively in talks to build 40 affordable rental apartments for military veterans.

This would be part of Wellbeck Land’s proposed 340 homes earmarked for a greenfield site off of School Road and London Road in Copford, which Colchester Council is still yet to decide on.

Illustrative - Merville Barracks in Colchester, (Image: Newsquest)

Speaking about the crisis, Mr Bell said: “We’re casting our net widely in the Colchester and Essex region because we think demand is so strong.

“I think there is an absolute housing crisis.

“There are too many veterans who are street homeless, and there are far too many veterans in poor quality, so called supported housing or sofa surfing.

“To be in houses of multiple occupancy is not appropriate, whilst they’re not classified as homeless; is that really as a country what we should be doing with veterans? I don’t think it is good enough.”

Through his charity Entrain Space, Mr Bell has delivered an apartment complex in Wiltshire with 44 flats, alongside communal facilities, and support programmes for veterans, and Our Enterprise is about to build out a further 28 forces-first open market homes on the site.

Entrain Space at Wilton in Wiltshire (Image: Barbara Leatham Photography)

A collection of photos of a flat at the apartment complex (Image: Entrain Space)

The organisations not only offer homes to veterans and their families, but they also help with the transition from military to civilian life, covering employment, home buying, and integrating into the community.

Mr Bell, who would like to build another complex like the one in Wiltshire, says he has been in discussions with Colchester Council since 2023.

Not all conversations have been directly linked to the Copford site but he has been “a bit disappointed” in the response from the authority around how veterans' accommodation is treated.

Mr Bell said: “When you’re doing development, there is always a requirement for a developer to do a certain amount of affordable housing, that’s the law, it’s quite right.

“What was key to our success in Wiltshire was, that Wiltshire Council accepted our veterans' housing model could fit within that affordable envelope.

“That meant the developer could justify gifting us that land, and then we could go onto charge those affordable rents which are appreciated by veterans when they come out the forces.

Specialist developer - Matthew Bell (Image: Barbara Leatham Photography)

“One of the barriers I was really disappointed we didn’t resolve when we were engaged with the council in discussions previously—this wasn’t about Copford, this was when we first went to the council.

“I just felt they froze over when we started talking about specialist affordable housing for veterans which is tailored to meet the needs of those service leavers by giving that transitional support.

“There was a real unwillingness to look at including this type of housing within the general needs affordable envelope.”

The developer argues if the complex can’t be included in an affordable envelope of land on a site, it would not be financially viable to roll out.

This is because if he has to pay full price to the developer for the land, then that would mean he has to charge full rents to the veterans.

“We’re not doing general needs affordable people out of housing either, both can be delivered on site”, he added.

Mr Bell is going to reach out to the welfare teams at Colchester Garrison and the local military charities to identify specific needs and would welcome any contact.

He intends to do a wider military consultation event in the Autumn.

A Colchester Council spokesperson said: "The council recognises the valuable contribution made by members of the Armed Forces community and is committed to supporting veterans through a range of services and partnerships.

"The council has engaged with a number of organisations over the years regarding housing proposals and opportunities for veterans. Any discussions that take place outside of the planning process are exploratory in nature and do not prejudice the council's consideration of future proposals.

"The council does not recognise the characterisation that it was unwilling to consider specialist housing for veterans. The authority regularly engages with developers, registered providers and specialist housing organisations to explore a range of housing solutions that meet identified housing needs across the city.

"Through our housing allocations policy, applications from veterans and service leavers are assessed based on their current housing need and individual circumstances. This includes consideration of transition from military life, the loss of service accommodation and the need to establish a settled home. Where appropriate, local connection requirements can be applied flexibly in line with national guidance.

"There are currently around 2,544 households on Colchester's housing register waiting for an affordable home, while the number of veteran households registered for priority housing assistance is comparatively low (59).

"Veterans are also able to access a wide range of dedicated support services locally and nationally, and Colchester is proud to be a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant.

"The council's immediate housing priority remains addressing significant overall housing demand, including supporting the 572 households currently living in temporary accommodation, many of whom are families with children.

"Planning applications are assessed on their individual merits and in accordance with planning policy and other material considerations. As the application relating to the proposed development at Copford has not yet been determined, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the specifics of that proposal.

"The council remains willing to engage constructively with partners and organisations seeking to support veterans while also addressing the broader affordable housing needs of the Colchester community."

To find out more about the developer’s work and to apply for housing opportunities, visit entrainspace.co.uk.