A new housing development which is boosting the number of affordable homes for families in rural Bedfordshire has reached completion.

Partners joined Jephson Homes Housing Association's East region at an event to mark the completion of the homes at Pembroke Close, Houghton Conquest.

Councillor Angela Barker, chairman of Central Bedfordshire Council, welcomed residents to the scheme, which she praised for bringing more quality affordable housing to the village.

Situated off Pembroke Road and comprising eight, three-bedroom houses and two, two-bedroom bungalows, the development makes use of a brown field site and has been designed to complement existing housing in the village.

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The homes have been built by Taylor French Developments and supported by investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the national housing and regeneration agency for England.

They are available for social rent on a local lettings plan, giving priority to people with a connection to the area.

Each home has been fitted with photovoltaic solar panels, providing an eco-friendly power supply and the potential for lower electricity bills.

Pembroke Close is the third Jephson scheme to complete in the area in the last six months, bringing a total of 36 new affordable homes to families in Central Bedfordshire.

According to reports from the National Housing Federation, a house in the countryside now costs an average of over £40,000 more than a house in an urban area, leading to young people and those on lower incomes being priced out of their home villages.

(CD/GK)