Two Castles Housing Association has welcomed residents into their new homes after work completed on a £1.7 million affordable homes scheme for local people in Bellingham, Northumberland.
The development, known as Bridgeford View, has delivered 13 high quality energy efficient homes to rent for people with a connection to the village or the local area.
Built in partnership with local construction firm Newman Developments, Bridgeford View is located on land adjacent to existing Two Castles’ properties at Briar Hill in the village and includes five, two bedroom bungalows as well as a selection of two, three and four bedroom homes.
Rob Brittain, property services director at Two Castles Housing Association, said: “We’re delighted to welcome residents into their new homes at what is a much-needed, affordable housing development for local people in Bellingham. There is currently a real demand for building quality affordable homes in communities across Northumberland. This is due to a mixture of the high cost of rent and an increase in second home ownership, with many people are being forced to move away from the villages where they grew up because they can no longer afford to live there.
“At Two Castles we are committed to working with our partners to deliver a range of well-crafted, relevant homes that are sustainable and help to meet the needs of local communities.”
Built with support from Northumberland County Council and part-funded by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) following an investment of £338,000, Bridgeford View has been constructed to Code for Sustainable Level Three Homes Standards and includes a range of energy efficient features to help make homes even more affordable.
To reflect existing properties in the village, each home on the development has been built using traditional building materials such as natural slate roofs as well as stone elevations and rendered walls.
Trevor Newman, company director at Newman Developments, said: “We are once again delighted to have partnered with Two Castles Housing Association on this exciting affordable homes scheme. We are committed to re-investing in the communities in which we work and successfully sourced all of our labour, materials and sub-contractors from the local area when building Bridgeford View, which helped us to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Councillor Allan Hepple, policy board member responsible for housing at the council, added: “The delivery of affordable homes across Northumberland to meet housing need is a key priority for the council. Schemes like this in rural areas are essential to provide homes for local people who want to remain in the area, and will also help to sustain local services and facilities.”
Bill Carr, Head of Area at the HCA said: “I am really pleased that we have been able to invest over £300,000 in a village like Bellingham. Affordable homes are one of the most important elements to ensure that rural communities remain sustainable. These 13 new homes will ensure that local people not only have the chance to remain in their local community, but can also afford to do so.”