Balfour Beatty, through its Mansell brand, has started work on the construction of 14 new affordable homes that will help ensure local families are able to continue living in their community.

The project is being carried out for the Cotman Housing Association in Old Buckenham, just south of Norwich, and will extend an existing housing development with a mix of one, two and three bedroom terraced and semi-detached homes, all for affordable rent.

Councillor Adrian Joel from Breckland Council cut the first sod on the development, together with Vivien Farrow from the Cotman Housing Association, local residents and Dean Burgess from Balfour Beatty.

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Work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014 and has been partially funded through the Homes and Communities Agency’s Affordable Homes Programme.

The homes will be located on disused land previously owned by Breckland Council and will be built to Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Vivien Farrow, Managing Director at Cotman Housing Association, said: "Providing new homes in rural areas is really important to help keep families together and support the local community. This means more people can access an affordable home near their family and friends rather than facing the prospect of moving away to find a property they can afford.

"These new homes are an addition to an existing scheme, which means we will be helping to expand an established, thriving community and since Cotman Housing Association will be managing the development after it is built, we have a long term interest in making Old Buckenham a fantastic place to live for years to come."

(CD/MH)