The keys to five new affordable homes in West Beckham have been handed over to families with a connection to the village and adjoining parishes – with five more due to be handed over.
At an onsite ceremony, Broadland Housing Association chair, Jenny Watson, and Cllr Wendy Fredericks, deputy leader of North Norfolk District Council and Portfolio Holder for Housing and People Services, handed over the keys to the first resident, Sarah MacDonald, who is moving into her new home with husband Stuart and two children, Maria and Aidan.
Affordable Homes
The Church Road site consists of one four-bedroom house, three three-bedroom houses and one two-bedroom house. They are in the style of a traditional farmhouse and converted barns, with a wildflower area and public open space being built onto the site.
A further four two-bedroom bungalows and a one-bedroom bungalow have been built at a second site on Sheringham Road in the village – these will be handed over within a few weeks time.
All of the new homes, which are being made available for affordable rent, have been prioritised for people with connections to the village and adjoining parishes.
They will be built to a high environmental standard, with air source heat pumps, photovoltaic panels and electric charging points all contributing to a ‘B’ EPC rating.
Partnership Working
The project was made possible through a partnership between Broadland Housing Association, North Norfolk District Council, and Homes England, as part of a wider package of six Broadland Housing ‘local need exception housing’ schemes across North Norfolk district.
Additionally, the project received financial support from surpluses generated by Broadland St Benedicts – a subsidiary of Broadland Housing – which constructs and sells homes on the open market within the county and allocates 100% of its profits to fund the development of new affordable housing.
New Residents
Receiving the keys to her new home, Mrs MacDonald said,
We were blown away when we first saw this house, we couldn’t believe our luck. We are currently living in a cramped, damp house which is suffering from mould.
The energy-efficiency side is massively important, because we have been really struggling where we are, where we have oil central heating. It doesn’t matter how long you have the heating on for, it’s cold in the winter. This house is well-insulated and will be much cheaper to run.
This new home is light, it’s airy, it’s spacious. We feel like we have won the lottery.”
Broadland Housing Association chair Jenny Watson said,
Homes are fundamental to everything we do in our lives, they make everything else possible. Proving homes for people is Broadland Housing’s enduring purpose, so I am really pleased that this new development is able to contribute to that.
This has been a real partnership effort. I particularly want to think West Beckham Parish Council, which wanted to keep local families in the village; the whole village was really supportive all the way through the process.
I also want to thank North Norfolk District Council for finding the land on which we could build this. We also couldn’t have got here without the grants from Homes England and the section 106 contributions from North Norfolk District Council.”
Cllr Wendy Fredericks added,
I was brought up in council housing, and I know how important it is to have somewhere affordable to live.
This is a stunning development. We know that Broadland tenants will always look after their houses because they are such high quality.”
The new homes were designed by CAM Architects and built by Smith of Honingham.