Mansfield District Council has been inundated with enquiries from families wanting to move into the first new Council homes to be built in the District in more than 30 years.

Over 230 families made bids for tenancies for the first ten new properties to become available on the Bellamy Road Estate.

The homes are part of a £5 million scheme by the Council and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to build 43 new properties at four sites on the estate.

The first ten homes have been built at Colston Court and include six three-bedroom properties and four four-bedroom houses. The bidding period for the new properties has now ended and the first families are expected to move in before the end of March.

Work is continuing on construction of a further 33 new family homes on the Bellamy Road Estate at Shelton Court, Syerston Court and Ruddington Place. Completion is expected at various times up to September.

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All the new properties are either fitted with eco-friendly ground source heating systems, which provides low cost heating and hot water, or photovoltaic (PV) tiles which provide free electricity.

All homes also come with a timber shed in the garden, a rotary clothes line, water butts and numerous green features. In addition there is a home office facility in one bedroom in each property, with high level power points and telephone points. All the properties have two car parking spaces.

Mansfield's Executive Mayor, Councillors and tenants and residents groups were given a sneak preview of the properties at special viewing events last week.

After the visit Councillor Heather Henshaw, Portfolio Holder for Housing said: "The quality of the new properties is very impressive and it's easy to see why they are so sought after. Their completion is hugely significant and they give a massive lift to the Bellamy Road estate.

"For many years Government rules made it impossible for Councils to build new homes and as a result we were left with an imbalance in the types of property we had available and a shortage of family homes.

"Now those shackles have been loosened and demand for social housing is increasing we have ambitious plans to bring forward more developments like this in the future.

The properties are being built by William Davis Ltd and a number of training opportunities have been provided for young unemployed people from the area during the construction.

(CD/KMcA)