Warwickshire Rural Housing Association had plenty to shout about during Rural Housing Week as it’s delivering more affordable homes for more families in more villages than ever before this year.
To mark the achievement, and to coincide with Rural Housing Week 2017, the housing association Board, including WRHA Chairman, Derrick Dyas, took the opportunity to tour three new development sites.
The grand tour kicked off in Wootton Wawen, where WRHA is working in partnership with Bouygues UK, one of the country’s leading construction companies, Waterloo Housing Group, and the local community, on the first ever Passivhaus scheme in the county.
Work has already begun on the development, on land next to the A3400, which will see 14 properties being built to the rigorous Passivhaus standard. Developed in Germany, Passivhaus focuses on creating buildings which are as energy efficient as possible, which is what local people asked for.
With many residents struggling to meet ever increasing energy costs, this cutting edge development will help to tackle fuel poverty as well as reducing residents’ carbon footprint.
Board members then moved on to Great Alne (pictured above) for a start on site ceremony at Spernal Lane where seven new affordable homes are set to be built. The plans for the development were passed unanimously earlier this year reflecting the real need for more homes in the village which local people can afford.
The Great Alne development is being built in partnership with developers, Linfoot Country Homes and Orbit, with funding provided by Stratford-on-Avon District Council and the Homes and Communities Agency.
The final stop on the tour was Broom, where WRHA is working with the same developers to bring five properties for affordable rent and one for shared ownership to this very rural village.
The development, which is due to be completed next Spring, will provide six two-bedroom homes for local people and families who would not otherwise be able to afford to live in the community where they have grown up, work or have close family ties.
The theme for this year’s Rural Housing Week was Delivering the Ambition, and the week provides an excellent opportunity to highlight rural housing issues and shine a spotlight on the affordable housing developments which are enabling WRHA to offer a lifeline to local people and ensure the survival of rural communities and services.
Warwickshire Rural Housing Association Chairman, Derrick Dyas, commented: “WRHA is committed to providing affordable homes in rural Warwickshire for local people and families who would not otherwise be able to afford to live within their own communities.
“Rural Housing Week was the perfect opportunity for our Board members to view the progress of some of our latest schemes and to hear about the huge difference they will make to people in the local communities we serve.”
