New homes for Milborne Port as 38-property scheme completes

Strongvox Homes has completed its 38-home Milborne Place development in Milborne Port, with nearly a third of the new homes to be made affordable in partnership with Aster Group and South Somerset District Council.

Construction began in July 2015, on the site of a former garden centre off Wheathill Lane, close to the village’s primary school, and all private sale homes have already been sold.

The 12 one-, two- and three-bedroom affordable homes are being offered to those local to the area. Five will be available through shared ownership with seven allocated for rent at the social rent regime.

Aster Group has also built a five-bedroom home for a local family whose needs couldn’t be met by their existing accommodation. The developer worked with the family throughout the development process to ensure their needs were met.

South Somerset District Council is continuing to ensure that around 20% of all new affordable homes in the district are in rural areas (parishes with less than 3000 population).  This scheme is the first completed rural development since adopting the new rural housing action plan in October 2016.

Amanda Williams, group development director at Aster Group, said: “With a lack of housing supply across the country driving up prices, many people in rural communities are increasingly finding themselves priced out of their own areas. The average Somerset house now costs over £265,000 and delivering high-quality affordable homes in developments like Milborne Place is vital in helping provide much-needed new accommodation.”

Ric Pallister, Leader of South Somerset District Council, said: “Housing to meet local need that is affordable, be that for sale or rent, is often critical to the future survival of our rural communities. All too often we are seeing villages going out of balance with second homes, a predominance of older residents and a lack of young families that should be the lifeblood of the future. This Strongvox / Aster scheme will inject just that new life into Milborne Port that is so needed and I am delighted with the outcome."