leahortez86: Residents' request for cheaper housing finally comes true

Monday, February 14, 2011

Residents' request for cheaper housing finally comes true

A DOZEN new homes have been built in Cropwell Bishop – after a long campaign by villagers who wanted cheaper places to live.

The 12 affordable homes have been built on a cul-de-sac called Barlows Close.

And they will only be available to people with a "strong connection" to the village.

"This is the sort of housing people have been wanting for years," said Alan Wilson, chairman of Cropwell Bishop Parish Council.

The homes have been built by the Waterloo Housing Group at the request of villagers, who complained there was not enough low-cost housing for youngsters who were looking to buy their first home.

The Mayor of Rushcliffe, Councillor Marie Males, together with the chief executive of the National Housing Federation, David Orr, visited the village and praised it as an example of considerate expansion and community involvement.

The homes cost �1.5 million to create, with a �436,000 social housing grant coming from the Homes and Communities Agency and a �116,000 from Rushcliffe Borough Council.

All the homes, which include eco-friendly features such as heat-retaining tiled roofs, have now all been allocated with tenants.

A survey conducted by the village's parish council five years ago found that 53 families expressed a need for affordable housing.

Mr Wilson said: "It's been a long campaign, but we are all so proud that we have something to show at the end of it all.

"All the homes are only going to people with strong connections to Cropwell Bishop, so they can go some way to fulfilling the need for affordable housing in the village."

A spokesman for Waterloo Housing said: "Affordable housing is vital to the wellbeing of rural communities, helping to support village life and enable local people to stay in their community whatever their age or circumstances.

"We're pleased to have made a difference in Cropwell Bishop."

The new cul-de-sac is named after the Barlow family, who have been in the village for 130 years.