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Pat Ritchie, Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), joined local MP Guy Opperman for the opening of three new homes which have been developed through Allendale Community Housing.
Set within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Allendale’s popularity is such that the average house price is around 22 times the average income of applicants on the local housing register – making affordable homes hard to come by.
Allendale Community Housing drew on technical support from Four Housing Group to create the Allen Garden development, which will now be managed by Isos Housing.
"Allendale Community Housing has shown that it is possible for local people to identify a need, plan a solution, draw in professional support where it’s needed – and make it happen," said Pat Ritchie at the launch event.
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"Small-scale rural developments like this one can make a huge difference to people’s lives, especially in areas like Allendale where people would otherwise be forced to move away in search of a home they can afford.
"The HCA is working closely with groups across England to see how we can make things simpler for communities who wish to develop new homes – simplifying our funding processes and working with local authorities to put together local investment plans which will help guide decisions on funding."
The new homes, which benefited from £185,000 in HCA investment, meet Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. The scheme was built by locally-based Newman Developments, and was also supported by Northumberland County Council.
Allendale Community Housing is a community-owned company run to Community Land Trust principles by a board of directors from the area, who donate their time free of charge. They work to identify opportunities for the development of affordable housing and workspaces in Allendale and the surrounding area in partnership with other local organisations.
David Stewart, Chair of Allendale Community Housing, added: "We think this is a great example of the Big Society in action. The homes are built to extremely high environmental standards making them cheaper to live in, the work force has been mainly local craftsmen, and the tenants will all be local people - a win, win, win."
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