Ten new affordable homes are set to be built in Nettlestone thanks to funding made available by Isle of Wight Council.  The scheme (pictured below) will be the first development of “affordable housing” units to be provided in a rural location on the Island in over seven years.

The new Leader of the authority, Cllr.David Pugh, will be at the site of the new rural build just a week after he launched the council’s groundbreaking housing strategy at a meeting of the full council.

The project (pictured above) is supported by Nettlestone and Seaview Parish Council and will provide local homes for local people in the area of Seaview and Nettlestone.  Funding of £595,460 will be provided by the Isle of Wight Council of which a majority has come from payments made by developers under the commuted payment process.  The scheme, at Eddington Road, Nettlestone will provide ten 2 bedroom homes (five rented and five shared ownership). The eco-friendly homes have been designed to be adaptable for future use by the provision of a flexible roof space.

Sharon Packer, Rural Housing Enabler said:

“Eddington Road was chosen as a potential site for a small cluster of homes.  Medina Housing Association produced a footprint drawing for the site and ideas were shown at public meetings to gain residents views.  There was actually only a small amount of opposition by a few people, and those in support and need were equally vocal.

“It is thanks to the excellent partnership working between all those involved that has made Eddington Road the first scheme in over seven years to gain planning approval on the Island.”

The scheme is also set to boost the local economy by the selection of local contractors Stoneham Construction who will build the homes and architects, Ermc Ltd who designed them. Western Challenge Housing Association is developing the scheme and it will then be owned and managed by Vectis Housing Association on the Isle of Wight.
 
The play area to the front of the site which is owned by Medina Housing is leased to the Parish Council.  The scheme will provide improvements to the play area such as new safety surfaces which will ensure that local children have the opportunity to benefit from the development.

Leader of Isle of Wight Council Councillor David Pugh added:

“This is in line with our proposal to place a covenant on the land that allows local residents preference on the sale of properties in their area. This means that when allocating the units, local people with a connection to the village either by residency, family connection or workplace will take preference over those without a proven connection.

“Local income levels will also be taken into consideration when calculating how much percentage a home owner can buy on the shared ownership units. There is an 80% limit on the equity available which will ensure that the units will remain affordable. This excellent scheme fits in well with our new housing strategy which aims to ensure that affordable homes are made available to Isle of Wight residents.”

 

IWC Media.