Pictured above: 500th resident Anna Scholder-Harper, WRHA board member Linda Ridgley and WRHA Chairman Derrick Dyas

Schoolchildren joined parish councilors and partners to celebrate the opening of an innovative community-led development which will provide much-needed affordable homes in the village of Harbury.

The £1.85 million scheme in Hereburgh Way, off Bush Heath Lane, marks the completion of Warwickshire Rural Housing Association's 500th home.

Yesterday, residents and WRHA representatives planted a tree outside the house to celebrate the milestone .

They also presented prizes to pupils from Harbury Church of England Primary School for a house designing competition in which youngsters drew what they thought WRHA's house of the future would look like.

Flowers were presented to Anna Scholder-Harper, who has just moved into WRHA's 500th house.

Anna, aged 24, has cerebral palsy and needs 24-hour support. She said: "I was living with my dad in the village before, but it is brilliant to have my own space. I'm really pleased with it - it is a lovely house and it has given me a lot more independence."

Paul Spooner, Executive Director of the Homes and Communities Agency, Midlands, which has invested £1m into the scheme, attended the opening ceremony along with representatives from Harbury Parish Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Linfoot Country Homes, Jephson Housing Association Group and Warwickshire Rural Community Council.

The 22 homes have been built under Stratford-on-Avon District Council's "Local Choice" initiative, which allows communities to promote developments that meet the local housing needs they have identified.

WRHA will own 13 of the properties for rent. They are available only to people with a local connection to the area.

The other nine homes are being offered for sale through Linfoot Country Homes, initially only for buyers with links to the parish to make sure the scheme satisfies local housing needs first.

Residents need to have been born in the parish, lived or worked there for at least 12 months or have close family members living in the area.

Contractor Linfoot Country Homes built the houses over the last 12 months, with Jephson Housing Association Group as managing agent.

The development comprises a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses and bungalows. All built to level three of the Government's Code for Sustainable Homes, they have energy efficient air source heating and sustainable drainage systems.

Warwickshire Rural Community Council, which previously carried out a survey into housing needs in the area, ensured members of the local community were fully consulted throughout the various stages of the development.

The scheme, which has also been supported by Harbury Parish Council, has received £186,000 of funding from Stratford-on-Avon District Council and a £1 million grant from the Homes and Communities Agency, the national housing and regeneration agency for England.

WRHA Chairman Derrick Dyas said: "I welcome the completion of such an important scheme which brings a vital injection of affordable housing to this community.

"It is most rewarding to work with our partners and local communities to help them meet their own housing needs."

Paul Spooner, of the HCA, Midlands, said: "Providing affordable homes that meet local needs is a priority for the HCA and makes a crucial difference in rural areas.  We are delighted to have supported Warwickshire Rural Housing Association and Stratford District Council to deliver this important scheme for the local community."