Pictured above: (front) Derrick Dyas (Warwickshire Rural
Housing Association) Councillor Valerie Hobbs, Baggi Matu (HCA)
Back Left to right: David Stone (Chair Wolverston PC) Kim Slater
(Warkwickshire Rural Community Council) Alan Latter
(Claverdon PC) Joanne Welch (Jephson) (in cab) John
Gordon (Stratford Dist.Council) (in cab) Jenny Bendall
(Norton Lindsey PC) Ted Read (former chair Wolverston
PC)
A development which will provide much-needed homes for the
people of a popular Warwickshire village is officially underway,
thanks to a ground-breaking partnership.
A dozen affordable homes are under construction in Norton
Lindsey, near Warwick, in a development which has brought together
Warwickshire Rural Housing Association and both Warwick and
Stratford-on-Avon District Councils.
The close co-operation was needed because while the bulk of the
site in Curlieu Lane lies within Stratford district, the access
road to the development falls under the jurisdiction of Warwick
District Council.
The development is a first for Warwick District Council in terms
of cross boundary working with a neighbouring local authority to
achieve a joint priority of providing new affordable housing.
The council has maintained allocation rights to three of the
properties by way of a legal agreement.
Work officially started on site yesterday (June 17) when the
ground was ceremonially broken. The development is scheduled
for completion in early 2011.
The homes, which are being constructed by Wates Living Space,
will be owned and managed by Warwickshire Rural Housing Association
(WRHA), a specialist provider of affordable homes in rural
areas.
A survey of housing needs by Warwickshire Rural Community
Council demonstrated a proven need for new homes in the village,
which takes its name from the Lindsey family who were lords of the
manor in the 12th century.
The properties, which include two and three bedroom homes and
bungalows, will be offered only to people with a local connection
to the village, for example through present or past residence or
family or work ties.
All the homes will be built to level three of the Government's
Code for Sustainable Homes and will include energy efficient air
source heating technology. Funding has been provided through
a mix of sources including the Homes and Communities Agency, (the
national housing and regeneration agency for England), and
Stratford-on-Avon District Council.
Derrick Dyas, Chairman of Warwickshire Rural Housing
Association, said: "This is another opportunity for us, working in
partnership with the parish and district councils, to deliver
affordable housing in this hugely attractive village.
"It has taken a great deal of joint working between ourselves
and Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon district councils to bring this
scheme to fruition and I am delighted work has started on site.
"I know there is a long history of addressing housing needs here
and I welcome the opportunity to provide a further scheme to ensure
the availability of more affordable homes for local people."
Councillor Valerie Hobbs, Stratford-on-Avon District Council's
Portfolio Holder for Revenues and Housing, said: "We are delighted
to have been closely involved in helping to make this scheme a
reality. An interesting feature is that it will serve not just one
local community but the three parishes of Claverdon, Norton Lindsey
and Wolverton.
"I am also pleased the district council has been able to support
the scheme with a substantial grant contribution as part of its
Affordable Housing Investment Programme, and also through its
support for the work of the Rural Housing Enabler for
Warwickshire."
Councillor Moira-Ann Grainger, Portfolio Holder for Housing and
Property Services at Warwick District Council, said: "This
development is great news, especially for the rural communities.
It is also a great example of how important a local needs
survey is to a village."