Published April 11th, 2019
A leading Cornish social housing provider has handed over the keys to occupants of seven brand new homes, having rescued a site from a third party developer.
The scheme at Lanreath, a small village west of Looe, had planning consent for 15 plots. Eight homes were built and sold by the original developer, but the affordable housing was not delivered and the site was left incomplete for nearly two years.
Ocean Housing Group was approached by Cornwall Council to finish the project, and took ownership of the remaining plots in January 2018.
A mix of two and three-bedroomed affordable homes were built for rent and shared ownership by Ocean Housing, with two further houses built for open market sale by Ocean Group’s development company, Gilbert & Goode.
“The scheme is a good example of collaborative working between the council and Ocean Group. By working together we have been able to deliver affordable housing to the area of Lanreath and help local people get on the housing ladder through shared ownership,” said Ocean Group chief executive, Mark Gardner.
“We worked closely with Cornwall Council’s affordable housing team and Lanreath Parish Council in order to complete the scheme.
“We’d also like to thank councillor Richard Pugh for his proactive approach with the local community, which helped the build run smoothly.”
The affordable rental homes were occupied immediately after completion, and within a few weeks, the shared ownership properties were sold to people with a local connection.
Amanda Dollimore and her family were previously living in rented accommodation.
“It’s great to be a part of such a welcoming community, and shared ownership has given our family the chance to get on the property ladder,” said Amanda.
A full list of future development schemes and new homes for rent and shared ownership can be found at www.oceanhousing.com.
