Countryside opens Crewe affordable housing to market

Housing developer Countryside is close to completing a 143-home Help to Buy scheme in Crewe, supported by funding from the Homes & Communities Agency.

Housing association Your Housing Group will open a showhome at The Carriages housing development on Bessemer Way on Saturday 22 November.

The 143 homes on the 6.5-acre former Bombardier factory site include 119 two- and three-bedroom houses and 24 one-bedroom apartments, available for affordable rent, shared equity and sale.

Built by Countryside in partnership with Your Housing Group and Cheshire East Council, the £14m development includes £1.5m funding from the HCA.

Work on the scheme is due to complete in spring 2015.

Two bedroom homes cost £112,000 for sale or £89,600 75% shared equity. Three bedroom houses cost £125,000 for sale or £100,000 75% shared equity.

Anyone who lives or works in the Cheshire East Council boundary for a minimum of six of the last 12 months or three out of the last five years can be eligible, or anyone who has a close family member living in Cheshire East for at least five years. In addition, the joint family income must not exceed £60,000 and buyers must not have another property or have an existing mortgage.

Kathy Cowell, chairman of Your Housing Group, said: "The Carriages provides local people in Crewe with much needed affordable family accommodation. It is very important to Your Housing Group that our new housing developments benefit the community, and ensure that people who are already a part of that community can afford to live there.

"This scheme forms part of Your Housing Group's extensive affordable homes programme. In total we have a development programme in excess of £150m and will deliver nearly 1,400 new homes across the region by spring 2015. We look forward to welcoming visitors onto site on Saturday to view the showhome."