Raglan
Housing celebrated the creation of much-needed affordable rural housing this
month with the official opening of Nine Barrow View, a brand-new development of
eight rental properties in Steppes, Langton Matravers, on the Isle of Purbeck. The
smart new homes - which are close to the popular seaside town of Swanage and
exclusively for local people – built by C G Fry & Son were opened by
Richard Drax, Conservative MP for South Dorset.
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Nine
Barrow View, which the housing association has delivered in partnership with
Purbeck District Council, Langton Matravers Parish Council and regional
contractors C G Fry, was financed by Raglan with an additional £155,000 of
grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency.
Richard Drax MP said: "I was both impressed by
the location and standard of these homes, which are much needed in areas like
ours. The development was sensitively done, with clearly a lot of thought going
into the design of the house and the high grade fittings. What I also liked was
the fact there was room for all the families to breathe and take in the
glorious view across Purbeck. These homes are an example of what can be
achieved if everyone works together and now eight local families have the
security of a home in an area they simply could not afford to live in
otherwise."
Chronic
affordable housing shortage
The
scheme with its stunning coastal and countryside views, provides a mix of four
two-bedroom flats and two two-bedroom houses each accommodating up to four
people; and two three-bedroom houses for up to five people. The homes are all
self-contained with their own gardens. The north side of the development has
been designed to provide open space and a children’s play area for residents.
“The
chronic shortage and high cost of rural housing in the Purbeck area is forcing many
families and young people on modest incomes to leave their communities, taking
away the labour force which these communities rely on to survive,” said Richard
Stevenson, Raglan’s Business Development Director. “There is an urgent need to
provide local people with good quality housing within their communities which
they can afford. These people are the lifeblood of our villages and hamlets and
vital to the long-term survival and sustainability of local businesses,
schools, pubs and essential services. Small affordable schemes like Nine Barrow View have a significant role to play
in helping to revitalise our countryside villages, create jobs and drive rural economic
growth.”
The
new homes have been built to Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes
standard and are equipped with gas central heating and gas savers to help keep residents’
overall energy bills as low as possible.
Michael
Dear, Commercial Director for C G Fry & Son, said: “We are delighted to
have been part of this project with Raglan Housing which will provide much-needed
affordable homes to the local community. In addition to the new
houses and flats, we also installed new central heating systems in eight
existing properties on the site to bring them up to modern standards. The
project has gone well and we have enjoyed working with the Raglan team.”
Councillor
Mike Lovell, Housing and Development Spokesperson for Purbeck District Council,
said: “Meeting the housing needs of local people is one of Purbeck
District Council’s priorities and this development offers much-needed
accommodation in the district."
“Protecting
and enhancing Purbeck’s natural environment is another priority of the
council. The environment which attracts so many visitors to the area also
poses challenges for development, with limited opportunities for large scale
housing development. The Council therefore appreciates the contribution
schemes of this type make to meet the housing needs of local people and to
sustain our
communities.”
Nine
Barrow View marks the completion of phase two of the affordable housing
development which is built on a green field exception site on land directly
behind eight existing affordable Raglan homes constructed in 1993. As part of
the project, residents in the older properties also had their homes upgraded
and made more energy-efficient with the installation of new kitchens and
thermally-efficient windows and central heating systems.
Bruce
Voss, HCA Area Manager, said: “As the government body responsible for providing
affordable housing in England, we know how important these developments are in
areas like Purbeck. We’ve worked closely with partners to help them bring
forward development on this site and I am sure it will make a huge difference
to the local community. It’s a testament to partners’ efforts and great to see
the homes completed.”
Raglan
Housing has further local housing developments in nearby Harman’s Cross, Worth
Matravers, Studland and Swanage.
Follow Raglan on Twitter - @RaglanHousing
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