Providing good quality, affordable homes in rural areas helps to create vibrant neighbourhoods and maintain the fabric of our rural communities.
Our plans to build around 766 homes in rural areas across the South West will help families remain in the communities they love to live in.
This week is Rural Housing Week and we are highlighting the work we are doing to support our rural communities and shining the spotlight on the importance of investing in rural economies.
Over the past two years we have demonstrated our commitment by building 496 rural homes across the region and invested over £36m during the last financial year to build 193 homes in rural areas.
The total is made up of 29 homes in Cornwall, 23 in Devon and 141 in Somerset.
In the next three years, we are planning to develop 156 homes in Devon, 241 in Cornwall, 292 in Somerset and 77 in the West of England.
It means nearly 30 per cent of our development programme is made up of homes in rural areas.
Our Development Director, Gareth Jones, said: “Building rural homes changes lives and helps to strengthen communities.
“Rural Housing Week is an opportunity to talk about how rural housing developments offer essential homes to local people and underlines how vital new homes are in supporting thriving rural communities and services.
“Housing prices everywhere, including in rural areas, continue to rise which is why our commitment to affordable housing is so important to offer people the chance of a new home and to sustain vibrant rural communities.
“Our development plans mean we will be working in a broad range of rural communities across the South West to deliver homes that people can afford to live in.
“Alongside our ambitious plans to build around 766 rural houses in the next three years, we are also focusing on their energy performance to ensure that all our new houses offer energy efficient comfortable homes for our customers.”
In Devon, our partnership with local independent house builder, Devonshire Homes, has resulted in the completion of 94 homes in Kingsbridge.
Having previously owned his own home, shared ownership gave Mark Lamble the perfect platform to start a new chapter in his life at this idyllic location in the South Hams – an area where average house prices are typically around 15 times average salaries.
Mark said: “I am a local born and bred Kingsbridge person so it’s great to not have to move location. I really enjoy the area.
“The views here are absolutely stunning. I have got a really lovely plot here. It’s really nice, comfortable, new, modern and easy to maintain.
“I really enjoy my home. I got back on the housing ladder under the shared ownership scheme which was great.
“From a shared ownership point of view, I can’t recommend it enough. I have bought a new home and I don’t have to worry.
“LiveWest has been very good and anything I have done with the Aftercare team has been superb.”
In Cornwall, an area of chronic housing need, 10 affordable homes have been completed in the village of Kilkhampton.
All of the homes are for affordable rent and form part of a wider development of 34 homes thanks to a partnership with Bunny Homes.
The homes all achieved an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of B thanks to the installation of air source heat pumps.
Jennifer Bellinger has moved into one of the homes with her one-year-old daughter, Penny, and couldn't be happier.
Jennifer said: “The homes are absolutely fantastic. “It's a nice, quiet estate and luckily all the neighbours are friendly as well and the room sizes are amazing in the houses.
“Everyone's quite willing to help everyone else and there's loads of stuff that goes on down the church and the local rec centres and the shops and everything. Everyone's always really nice and friendly.
“We're on a nice new estate and it's great to see that percentage of affordable living houses going in.”
In Somerset, LiveWest partnered with Freemantle and Tallagh to build 25 energy-efficient new build homes in Congresbury which benefited from grant funding from LiveWest’s strategic partnership with Homes England. The development was made up of 19 shared ownership homes and six social-rented homes.
The energy-efficient homes benefit from solar panels, high-quality insulation, and solar PV to ensure they are sustainable, lowers the development’s carbon footprint and helps reduce residents’ energy bills.
First-time buyer, Jack Benjamin, along with his partner, were among the fortunate new owners to move into one of the new homes.
Jack, 27, said: “We are really happy here and it feels like home.
“My home is trendy, modern and it has solar panels, which will help reduce my energy bills.
“This is my first home through shared ownership, and I definitely recommend LiveWest as they have really supported me through this process.
“Being a first-time buyer, you’re not always sure about the buying process but LiveWest were really knowledgeable and supportive.”
