Tuesday 15 August 2006
Cash boost for new community

Residents of a brand new community in Northamptonshire received a cash boost as a development of affordable homes was officially opened.

Housing association bpha is developing 112 properties for affordable rent and shared ownership at Mawsley village, a settlement of 900 homes being built near Kettering.

Margaret Allen, field director at the Housing Corporation, which has provided £4.5m worth of funding for the 47 affordable homes in the first two phases, handed over a cheque for £250 to Mawsley Parish Council on behalf of bpha.

The money will go towards new play equipment for the village.

John Cross, chief executive of bpha, said: "We are proud to be working at Mawsley, providing not only much-needed affordable homes but also helping to foster a sense of community.

"This donation underlines our commitment to the community as we look forward to starting work on the third phase of our development programme."

Bob Littler, chair of the parish council, was delighted with the donation. He said: "We have always had lots of interest and support from bpha, who have been very generous as they understand the importance of creating a fully inclusive community.

"The affordable housing is an integral part of having a balanced community and we've been very pleased with the standard of bpha's homes - they look smart and fit in well."

bpha is the government's HomeBuy agent for Northamptonshire, with responsibility for promoting low-cost home ownership schemes across the county to help people trying to get on the property ladder.

At Mawsley, the housing association has worked closely with Kettering Borough Council to provide a mix of two and three bedroom family homes.

Many of these are being offered for shared ownership, giving families priced out of the local property market the chance to buy a home of their own.

Before each phase of work has started, bpha has held consultation meetings with existing residents, including the parish council and Mawsley Villagers' Association, to look at the design of the proposed affordable housing.

As a result the properties, built by contractors McCann Homes, have been successfully integrated throughout the development and designed to blend with those of their neighbours - using a variety of brick and stone.

In the next phase of building work, 17 more affordable homes - a mixture of bungalows and shared ownership houses - will be built on the site of the former GP surgery.

This plot of land had previously been leased to Northamptonshire Heartlands Primary Care Trust by bpha, so that a temporary surgery could be provided until a permanent surgery could be built elsewhere in the village.

With the surgery now relocated, work on the homes will start in the autumn and is scheduled for completion in early 2008.

For more information about the affordable homes at Mawsley village, contact Keyhomes East, bpha's sales and marketing team, on 0845 4566757 or visit www.keyhomes-east.org.uk.