Affordable housing scheme to build low-carbon homes in Moreton-in-Marsh is underway
Works to build 15 new low-carbon homes for social rent in Moreton-in-Marsh have begun thanks to an innovative partnership between Cotswold District Council, Cottsway Housing Association and Helix Partnership Homes.
The scheme will deliver affordable homes that will include sustainable features such as air-source heating, solar roof panels, electric vehicle charging points and enhanced insulation.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Joe Harris, said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to enhance this scheme in partnership with Homes England and Cottsway. The Davies Road site will be the first green home scheme of its kind in the Cotswolds.
“In the face of a growing affordability crisis, we are committed to increasing the number of genuinely affordable homes across the district for local people. Working alongside providers such as Cottsway we can offer people affordable homes, that are not only high quality but are also more sustainable than standard housing and ultimately better for the environment.
“The Davies Road site was allocated for development in the Council’s Local Plan, and our officers worked hard to ensure the development moved from a standard, mixed market development to an ‘all affordable’ scheme, with an extra grant from Homes England to take the sustainability standards a step further.”
Two existing vacant properties have been demolished to make way for the new two and three-bedroom homes, and the site has been cleared ready for construction work to begin in April.
The development has been made possible with the support of £1.275 million grant funding from Homes England and £580,500 developer funding secured in Section 106 contributions from Cotswold District Council, as well as a loan arrangement as part of a finance agreement between the Council and Cottsway. Helix Group has also provided construction finance to ensure the homes can be completed quickly by summer 2024.
Richard Reynolds, Cottsway’s Chief Executive, said: “Reducing our environmental impact is important to us and this project delivers much-needed affordable homes with sustainable low-carbon features. We’re also delighted that the homes will all be available for social rent, currently at around 55-60% of local market rents.
“We’re very pleased to be working with Cotswold District Council and Helix Partnership Homes to deliver this innovative project and we would like to thank Homes England for the funding support provided to help make this possible.”
The homes for social rent will be advertised on the Homeseeker Plus website nearer to the time of completion: www.homeseekerplus.co.uk. All applicants will need to be registered with Cotswold District Council.
For more information about applying for affordable housing, visit: cotswold.gov.uk/housing
Contact Information
Cotswold District Council Communications Team
Notes to editors
About Cottsway
Turning houses into homes, growing and building stronger communities and making a positive difference to people's lives.
Cottsway owns over 5,100 homes and provides services to diverse communities across West Oxfordshire and beyond. We house more than 11,000 people and support the wider community by adding social value.
Cottsway is West Oxfordshire’s largest affordable housing provider and has a growing number of properties in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
About Helix Group
Helix Group is an expert in building brilliant homes through its family of Construct, Consulting and Helix Partnership Homes teams. It was founded in 2017 by a group of friends eager to use their decades of large building contractor experience to build an SME business based on customer service excellence and the highest quality standards. Helix works on housing, education and health developments large and small throughout London, the Thames Valley and the wider South East.
Helix Partnership Homes is an SME developer that works in partnership with housing associations and landowners to help accelerate the delivery of new homes across the South of England and London.
For more information, please see www.helix.limited