WORK is starting on a groundbreaking £3million project to create 30 new affordable rented and shared ownership properties in Gnosall.
Stafford and Rural Homes is building two to four bedroom homes, including 13 available through shared ownership, on a site in Lowfield Lane.
It followed Gnosall Parish Council and SARH highlighting a need for more affordable housing.
The Lowfield Lane development is also a rural exception site, which is not usually permitted for housing but which can be released for affordable housing if it meets strict planning requirements and there is a proven need.
Shared ownership allows people who cannot afford to buy a home outright on the open market to get on the property ladder.
SARHcansell40to80percentofa new-build leasehold property and the customer will then pay a subsidised rent on the part they do not own. The bigger the share bought, the less rent paid. As the customer becomes able to afford it they can buy additional shares up to 80 per cent.
Karen Armitage, chief executive of SARH, said: “At a time when first-time buyers and private buyers face a serious
challenge to afford a new home, shared ownership can help boost local commu- nities and economies by encouraging aspiration, offering stability and allowing people to take up employment opportu- nities.”
Developer Thomas Vale is doing the work and Housing Plus will manage the build, due to be completed by the winter.
Meanwhile, residents struggling to pay their mortgages are being urged to get help to stay in their homes through the Mortgage Rescue Scheme, run by SARH in partnership with the borough council and Citizens Advice Bureau. People at risk of losing their homes can sell their prop- erty to SARH but continue living in it with a more affordable rent.
Susan Rowley, 55, and her son Joseph, 20, from Stone, received support to stay in their home of 26 years.
She said: “Because I have psoriatic arthritis which affects my whole body I can’t work and after the break-up of my marriage I no longer had enough income to pay the mortgage.”
People in difficulties should speak to their lender first but can contact the council’s housing options team on 01785 619000 or via email to housing advice@staffordbc.gov.uk. There is a drop-in advice surgery each weekday from 9.30am to 11.30am.
