The garden facelift has been funded by LiveWest and members from the Men in Sheds group have been busy building the wooden nature structures.
LiveWest has been working with the local Pucklechurch community in the lead up to the first stage of a new development of eight flats and 12 houses for affordable rent, called Cable Close which is set to be completed before Easter.
The entire scheme will deliver 58 affordable homes by the end of 2019, with 27 allocated for shared ownership and 31 for affordable rent.
Men in Sheds operate from the local Kingswood Heritage Museum and provide the opportunity for men (and women) to work in wood and other materials on their own projects, using the workshop and tools belonging to the museum. Members can also create and repair mechanical items in the workshop.
LiveWest has been working with Men in Sheds groups in South Gloucestershire for the past two years linking them up with various community groups to learn woodworking skills. A lot of the work has been around tackling social isolation within older people.
Marie Burke Community Connector at LiveWest said: “We are delighted to be working with Men in Sheds again to enhance facilities for the local schoolchildren, residents from our new homes development may end up attending the school.
“At LiveWest we know it’s really important we establish strong community connections where we develop our homes to really become part of the community. The whole project is aimed at bringing people together.”
LiveWest is pleased to be contributing to the area’s history by enhancing the neighbouring grade II listed World War II balloon tethering as part of the development. The new houses and flats will mean more local people can remain in the village instead of being forced to look for cheaper accommodation elsewhere.
Mervyn Bishop, who runs the Warmley Men in Sheds group, said: “What we seek to do is to provide a safe and friendly atmosphere where people can work – on their own or with others – on projects of their own choosing and at their own pace.
“We are so pleased to provide something for the local school which will help encourage wildlife in their garden, I couldn’t resist making a squirrel house for them as well!”
The larger site, called The Moorings, will be completed by the end of the year and will provide 38 units – 11 for rent and 27 for shared ownership.
Pucklechurch is an attractive, historic village with post-war development which includes a mixture of residential styles built between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Councillor Erica Williams, South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet Member for Housing Delivery and Public Health, said: “I am delighted to hear that these new, affordable homes are nearing completion in Pucklechurch.
“We have had a very positive partnership with LiveWest and this is an excellent use of former council land because it is continuing to make a positive contribution to the community.
“The Council has also provided around £400,000 from the Housing Enabling Developer Contributions fund to this project.
“With a growing population, we need new homes. While the discussion about housebuilding is often centred on towns and cities, it is really important to deliver them, sensitively, right across the district.
“Rural locations need affordable homes so the next generations can stay in or move to these communities and contribute to the countryside economy, allowing them to renew and to be sustainable.”