Curo marks Rural Housing Week with completion of 36 new homes in the village of Clutton
A housing development launched in 2018 was completed by housing association and housebuilder and Homes for the South West member, Curo, just in time to mark Rural Housing Week, an annual celebration that highlights the importance of housing for the survival of rural communities and services.
The two, three and four-bedroom homes at Highbury Fields, in the Bath & North East Somerset village of Clutton, are now all occupied. Most of the homes (22) were let at social/affordable rent or sold through the Shared Ownership scheme to local people, and Curo delivered almost twice the number of affordable homes required by the planning consent, including one home adapted for people with disabilities.
In addition, four homes were let at market rent and ten were sold on the open market, creating an integrated development with a wide range of housing tenures for the local community.
Clutton resident 30-year old Teri recently moved to Highbury Fields through the Shared Ownership scheme. She says: “Buying a house in Clutton would probably have been impossible. I’ve looked for years and Shared Ownership was the only way I could do it. It’s fantastic that they built these homes here.”
Curo Chief Executive, Victor da Cunha, says: “We’ve always said that if we found a way to deliver more affordable homes on this site, we would. New housing, and in particular, new affordable housing in rural areas, is essential to ensuring our market towns and villages continue to thrive.”
Curo secured more than £336,000 funding from Homes England to help deliver additional affordable housing on this site.
Victor added: “In Clutton, like many other villages in our region, young people and families are constantly being priced out of the housing market. Building new homes in these areas means more people have an opportunity to remain close to their support networks.
“What’s more, housebuilding brings much-needed investment in infrastructure, leisure and education facilities, and creates jobs – helping to revitalise local economies.”
As part of the development, Curo contributed more than £360,000 towards the local school, youth services, road infrastructure, bus services and green spaces in the village.
