Ceremony at Nassington
03/11/2006
Justin and his girlfriend Caroline Lawson had been forced to set up home away from the village where he was born and grew up due to rising housing prices and a lack of properties at affordable rents.
But on Friday 20th October, the couple were special guests at an opening ceremony for nine new homes built in Fenn Close on the edge of the village thanks to a partnership led by Northamptonshire Rural Housing Association (NRHA).
Councillor Sarah Rodger, chairman of Nassington Parish Council, told guests at the opening ceremony that the village was a vibrant and evolving community with thriving businesses including two very successful pubs, a wine merchants, a traditional butcher’s shop, a successful primary school, lunch clubs, a range of other activities and incredible community spirit.
“It is critical to the continuing evolution of the village for people who have grown up in the village to be given the opportunity to stay here,” she said, “Many youngsters have been forced to move away because of a lack of affordable homes.”
Jasper Hart, chairman of NRHA, praised everyone involved in getting the scheme off the ground, including development agents, The Longhurst Group, contractors Deejak, the Housing Corporation and staff at Midlands Rural, which provides management and support services to NRHA and three other rural housing specialists.
The new scheme is NRHA second development in the village which in itself is a tribute to the success of the first development which provided eight homes in Fenn Close in 1994.
It provided five, two bedroomed properties and one, three bedroomed house for rent and two, two bedroomed homes available through shared ownership schemes offering people unable to buy a house outright the chance to get a foot on the housing ladder.
As with the second development, it followed a housing needs survey involving all residents which revealed a need for affordable housing in the village.
The new development provides three, two bedroomed houses, two, two bedroomed bungalows, one, three bedroomed house and one, four bedroomed house for rent plus one, two bedroomed house and one three bedroomed house available through the shared ownership initiative.
Both developments have been built on land sold to the housing association by the Fenns, a local farming family, hence the name Fenn Close.