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Two local groups working to bring much needed new affordable homes to South Somerset are to receive £1.3m from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to support their ground-breaking projects.
The HCA has agreed to fund schemes in the villages of Queen Camel and Norton sub Hamdon, which are being led by locally-formed Community Land Trusts (CLT) and will see 30 affordable homes built for local people who have connections to the villages but are priced out of the local housing market.
Around £870,000 will be invested in a partnership between Queen Camel CLT and Hastoe Housing Association, who are working to deliver 16 homes for rent and four for sale on a site off West Camel Road. Queen Camel CLT will own the freehold of the land, with Hastoe managing the housing as part of a long-term lease.
A further £420,000 is to be invested in Norton sub Hamdon CLT’s bid to deliver 10 affordable homes in partnership with Yarlington Housing Group on a site in Minchington Close.
The investment is being provided through the HCA's Affordable Homes Programme, which has made funds available to support community-led housing projects. It marks a significant boost for affordable housing provision in the district, where house prices have been recorded as being up to 11 times average income levels.
The news was welcomed by representatives of the CLTs, which have been set up in the last year to provide community facilities and affordable housing in the villages. Work to support both projects can be traced back to 2005, when Parish Plans identified a need for affordable homes in each village, which this investment will directly address.
Chairman of Queen Camel CLT and Parish Councillor Rosemary Heath-Coleman said: "People who have connections here belong here, but are often unable to remain because of a lack of affordable homes. These new homes will help maintain these important links, which will also help safeguard the future sustainability of the village. There’s a lot of work still to do but we will be aiming to put together a planning application for the homes by the end of the year and we will continue to consult with the community on this in the months ahead."
(CD/GK)
