New homes help Lesbury families stay local

Much-needed new affordable homes in the village of Lesbury have been unveiled by the Duke of Northumberland.

The Duke opened the £1.65 million ‘Townfoot’ scheme, which has been developed by social housing specialist Isos Group with support from the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA).

Isos has worked closely with land owner Northumberland Estates, Northumberland County Council and Lesbury Parish Council to complete the development of 12 houses and bungalows in the prosperous Northumbrian village, where high house values risk pricing many local families out of the area. The average house price in the Alnwick area currently stands at £219,923, a massive 22 per cent above the Northumberland average.

Stuart McLauchlin, 61, has recently moved into a bungalow on the development. He said: “When work started on these homes, I said ‘Whoever gets those, it will be like winning the lottery’, and now I have one. I have to keep nipping myself to believe this has happened. It’s a lovely little bungalow and I feel very secure with it.”

The Duke was joined by Roy Ashton, the chair of Isos group member NomadE5, Northumberland County Council leader Jeff Reid, and the HCA’s Bill Carr for the installation of a plaque at the development.

He said: “I’m delighted to have been a partner in this project to provide affordable housing in Lesbury. It’s really important that local people can stay living in their communities, and that those communities do not become stagnant, or become dormitories for commuters. If people are to stay living here, they need support, and so it gives me great pleasure to open this development and give it my full support.”

The £1.65 million development has recently been shortlisted for a national HCA award in the rural housing category. Bill Carr, area manager for the Homes and Communities Agency, said: “A carefully planned development can make a huge difference in a rural community like Lesbury. The HCA’s vision is about helping local communities to deliver the ambitions they have for their own area – and these homes will offer local families an affordable way to stay in the village in spite of a difficult economic climate.”

Keith Loraine, chief executive of Isos Housing Group, added: “We are very proud to have brought this standard of scheme to Lesbury, to provide homes for those most in need.

“Over the years to come, these homes will play a vital part in ensuring people can stay close to their families in this community and support the local economy.”

The houses were built by contractor NB Clark on land Isos acquired from Northumberland Estates.
John Turnbull from the strategic housing team at Northumberland county council and Tom Wilson, the chair of Lesbury Parish Council visited the site every six weeks during construction.

The parish council kept residents up to date with the development in its bi-monthly newsletters, and delivered welcome packs to all the new residents in the Townfoot homes.