Home sweet Holmdale
East Devon District Council with partners DCH (formerly Devon & Cornwall Housing) proudly unveiled 12 new affordable flats in Mill Street, Sidmouth, last week. Many have already been snapped up, but a few still remain available to purchase under a shared ownership scheme.
The smart new Holmdale apartments are the result of a partnership agreement between the Council, which retains the freehold of the town centre site, and DCH, who manages affordable housing schemes across the South West.
Built on the site of a former motor workshop, later used as a gym, the 12 apartments fit well architecturally into the town centre environment.
On Friday (7 February) EDDC and DCH threw open the doors of the one and two-bedroom apartments to journalists to announce the arrival of an important milestone in provision of affordable housing in Sidmouth.
Commenting on the new development, Councillor Jill Elson, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Homes and Communities, said: “These self-contained apartments are a fine example of how a derelict town-centre site can be regenerated and much-needed homes provided through a partnership between a council and a housing provider like DCH.
“I am proud to be associated with this latest in a series of schemes promoted by EDDC to help local people find an affordable home. We started looking at the site in 2005 and agreed to work with DCH in 2006. Seeing these lovely apartments today means it was worth the wait”.
Rob Finch, New Business Manager at DCH, said: “We are extremely proud of these much needed shared ownership apartments. High quality affordable housing has obvious social benefits but it also plays a key role in supporting the local economy, providing accommodation for people who wish to live and work locally, employment for construction workers and income for local businesses who benefit from people remaining in or moving into the area. I am really pleased to see this scheme celebrated and I hope Holmdale’s new residents have many happy years in their homes.”
Pam Austin Roberts, Marketing and Sales Manager at DCH, said: “We were delighted to show our local partners around the new shared ownership homes before the new residents move in. The high-quality affordable homes are prioritised for local people, helping them to gain a firm foothold on the property ladder, remain in the area, and contribute to the wider local economy.”
Built by local company C G Fry and Son, the apartments were designed by ARA Architects. Construction started on site in August 2012 and work was completed on 24 January. The scheme, which cost just over £1 million to deliver, attracted a grant of £175,488 from the Homes and Communities Agency.
The prices of the new homes – most of which are either sold or reserved – start at £125,000 and rise to £197,000. With a variety of shared ownership schemes applicable to the new apartments, occupiers can secure a comfortable town-centre home for an initial outlay of £53,000.
