Work starts on 55 new affordable homes near Northampton hailed as helping to tackle housing shortage

Work has started on 55 new affordable homes on a development near Northampton, described as ‘the best of both worlds’ and tackling the housing shortage.

St George’s Fields in Wootton will include 40 homes for affordable rent, with a mix of one-bedroom maisonettes, two-bedroom flats and two to four-bedroom houses, and 15 shared ownership houses, ranging from two to three bedrooms.

South Northamptonshire Council (SNC) portfolio holder for wellbeing Karen Cooper said: “Wootton is the best of both worlds.

“You have a strategic location which opens up a wide range of employment options, all within easy reach of the leisure pursuits, fresh air and green spaces South Northamptonshire is famous for.

“It is a popular place to live and we are very glad that in this market Stonewater and Morris Homes are able to provide much needed affordable homes.”

The site, which will also include a play area, is part of a larger development of 380 homes and is being built by housing association Stonewater and developers Morris Homes.

This is the second scheme that Stonewater and Morris Homes have partnered on in the last year, as the two organisations began work on an affordable housing scheme in Wixams last summer.

Affordable rent is set at up to 80 per cent of the market rent, inclusive of any service charges, and tenancies are for a fixed term of 10 years. Shared ownership gives house buyers the opportunity to buy a share between 25 and 75 per cent and pay rent on the remaining share, owned by the housing association.

Chris Montague, from Stonewater, said: “We’re pleased to be working closely with Morris Homes and SNC to help tackle the local housing shortage.

“By bringing a mix of homes to the area – in terms of the number of bedrooms each home has – we are ensuring we are able to help as many people as possible to have the opportunity to have a place that they can call home and meet their housing needs.”