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Construction work is underway on 20 brand new affordable homes in Bolsover after £1.31m of government funding was received for the project. The scheme, in conjunction with Leicester-based developer Westleigh Developments and Acis Group, part of the Blue Skies Consortium, will see 18 two, three and four bedroom-houses built off Shuttlewood Road and an existing four-bedroom home converted into two two-bedroom apartments. This comes after Acis Group received funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), as part of the National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP). Homes are being built using timber frame construction, alongside traditional construction methods. Work is expected to take nine months and once complete it is anticipated that 18 of these properties will be available for rent and the remaining two will be available under Acis’ Rent to Homebuy scheme. Gary Turner, Head of Investment and Partnerships at Westleigh, comments, “We are delighted to commence work on this scheme of affordable homes, in partnership with both Acis Group and Bolsover District Council, after securing council support for over £1 million of government investment into local housing as part of the NAHP. It is an excellent example of our ability to secure high quality land for affordable housing and will provide 20 much needed homes.” Russ Blenkinsop, Finance Director at Acis Group, comments, “This investment represents our commitment to the residents of Bolsover. We pride ourselves in putting people first and providing better places for people to live. These new homes mean that we can help meet the growing demand for high quality affordable homes in this area. Working together with Westleigh is an exciting partnership and will ensure that we provide a high quality product for our customers.” Bolsover District Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Alan Tomlinson, said, “The Council has a number of important housing schemes across the district but this scheme has been able to take advantage of HCA underspend because it is based on a vacant site and can be completed for 2011” Portfolio Holder for Housing and Ward Member, Councillor Keith Bowman, commented, “This development provides us with an exiting opportunity, giving families on our waiting list the chance to live in new, thermally efficient, social rented housing in Shuttlewood. The development is just five minutes walk from the local primary school and I know that our planning department has worked hard to ensure that the scheme scores highly on design quality criteria. In addition to providing much needed affordable housing, I have no doubts that the completed development, which has a total investment value of over £2million, will be an attractive addition to the street scene in Shuttlewood.” |
