Pictured above: Homeowner Amit Singala welcomes (l-r) Steph Holland, sales co-ordinator, William Davis Ltd and Emma Fraser, head of intermediate markets, Communities and Local Government (CLG) into his home, which was purchased using HomeBuy Direct

Homeowner, Amit Singala invited senior representatives from Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to view his home at Grange Park, Loughborough, which was purchased under the HomeBuy Direct scheme.

HomeBuy Direct is a national scheme whereby potential buyers are able to purchase a brand new home for just 70% of the purchase price with no deposit. As part of a region-wide initiative to speak to homeowners who have utilised the initiative, the CLG and HCA visited the flagship private housing scheme of Loughborough-based developer William Davis Ltd to gauge its success and talk to homeowners about their experiences ahead of the imminent closing date for applications.

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is the national housing and regeneration agency for England, responsible for developing thriving communities by creating places where people want to, and can afford to, live in.

Talking to Amit Singala, one of the first homebuyers at Grange Park, HCA's head of intermediate markets, Jamie Ratcliff said: "It is great to see the range of quality homes that are available through HomeBuy Direct, and that the scheme is making a real difference be helping people onto the property ladder who would not have otherwise been able to afford to make the move."

Pictured above: (l-r) Amit Singala, the first person to use the HomeBuy Direct scheme to purchase one of the stunning two and three-bedroom properties at William Davis Homes flagship Grange Park development, talks to Jim Patman, group development director, East Midlands Housing and Jamie Ratcliff, head of intermediate markets, HCA about his experiences

William Davis sales and marketing manager, Ann Edwards added: "William Davis has been involved with HomeBuy Direct since its inception and has helped to secure new homes for over 20 first-time buyers, public sector key workers and young families. The initiative has worked extremely well at Grange Park and, now with the application deadline just weeks away, we are keen to maximise our allocation and hopefully enable more buyers to secure one of these stunning properties."

Jim Patman, group development director, East Midlands Housing said: "As the regional HomeBuy agent for the East Midlands, EMH is extremely pleased to be able to assist with this fact finding visit to understand both the state of the housing market and the success of low cost home ownership schemes here in the region. We greatly appreciate Amit giving his time to welcome the group into his home and providing us with a firsthand account of his experience."

Grange Park features a number of two and three bedroom properties suitable for first-time buyers and, in addition to the HomeBuy Direct scheme run jointly with East Midlands Housing (EMH), William Davis also offers a number of other purchasing options.