CHS Group has completed work on 25 new affordable homes for people in Melbourn, South Cambridgeshire. This has led to 16 families being able to move into new homes for affordable rents, with nine further properties to be sold through shared ownership.

Nigel Howlett, CHS Chief Executive, welcomed Mayor James Palmer to the development and said “We are delighted that these homes are now available to local families and we thank Mayor Palmer and the Combined Authority for providing funding to enable the development to get off the ground. Local people across Cambridgeshire struggle to find long term, secure housing that they can afford, and these homes give them the opportunity to stay in the community they have grown up or worked in.”

The Combined Authority approved a grant of £133,000 towards the scheme in July 2017 which kicked off the fund along with nine other affordable housing projects. £37 million in grant and loan investment has been approved to date which will deliver 777 new affordable homes across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Mayor Palmer said: “It’s great to be in Melbourn to see first-hand delivery on the ground of new homes enabled by the Combined Authority’s Affordable Housing Fund.

“They will give local people a chance to get on the housing ladder through shared ownership, allowing them to continue to live in an area which has experienced significant house price increases over recent years.

“Accelerating the delivery of housing of a range of types and tenures is one of the key responsibilities of the Combined Authority. We stand ready to help unlock a range of schemes across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, as well as continuing to build momentum in meeting our commitment to delivering 2,000 new affordable homes by 2022.”

With CHS already having strong connections with Melbourn – providing around 50 affordable homes in the village, the Moorlands Court Extra Care scheme for older people with care needs, as well as setting up the local Timebank, which gives local people a way to meet and support each other – the additional homes will enable more local people to thrive in this community.