New Plymouth homes from Westward provide affordability, downsizing options and accessibility
Westward’s latest housing development for Plymouth provides five affordable and accessible homes in Plympton. The homes were provided with Homes England funding and recycled grant funding from Westward. All the homes were constructed by a local company and first-time partners for Westward, Classic Builders. Classic are also working with Westward on a separate Plymouth site at Moses Close.
New tenant, Joanne Woodhouse, who is a health care assistant for a local GPs surgery says,
“It’s all been such a positive experience, but it wasn’t before this. I was on Devon Home Choice for three years waiting for a home. I live in a flat in Plymouth. Even Homeswapper attempts kept on falling through. But now that I’ve packed up my flat ready for the move next week I feel like it’s all been meant to be all along, that it was always meant to be that I got this bungalow. I’m delighted!”
Two shared ownership and three affordable rent properties are now ready for their delighted tenants and shared owners at St Peter’s Close in Plympton. The two two-bed bungalows for shared ownership and three one-bed bungalows for social rent are adaptable and accessible, with the larger one-bed bungalow being fully wheelchair accessible.
The homes also offer the opportunity to downsize for those who now need less bedroom space. This supports Plymouth City Council’s housing strategy, Plan For Homes. The land was owned by Plymouth City Council and sold to Westward at a discount for redevelopment to include accessible homes as a priority.
All properties benefit from photovoltaic solar panels to help make the homes more affordable to live in and support carbon net zero targets. The bungalows each have an electric vehicle charging point. Classic Builders also kindly donated the garden hoses and sprinklers in the garden shed’s for residents to keep.
Westward’s Chief Executive, Barbara Shaw, said:
“I am delighted that we are able to bring these new homes to Plymouth for those who need them to suit their range of needs. We are committed to making sure that more people in our region have a place that they can call home. We also like to make use of regeneration sites such as in this instance. By working with local firm Classic Builders we are not only providing affordable housing but also supporting employment in the city.”
Plymouth City Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities, said:
“These fantastic new homes are a wonderful addition the city and I thank Westward and Classic Builders for all of their hard work. The success of projects like this is yet more testament to the benefit in partnership working. The benefit of housing like this is two-fold. Not only does it provide accessible housing, allowing people to experience a better quality of life, but it also allows other, sometimes larger, homes to become available for those who need it.”
The social rent homes were offered through Devon Home Choice and are now allocated with residents moving in. Both shared ownership homes at St Peter’s Close are now about to complete their sales. All this adds up to another great social housing project provided by Westward Housing Group.
