8 New Affordable Homes for Great Milton
June 2009
Potts Close - which has achieved an Eco-Home rating of ’very good’ - provides family housing for local people. The 8 unit scheme, built on the site of former Soha Housing sheltered accommodation which was closed after consultation with Great Milton Parish Council, in 2007, provides six properties for rent and 2 for homebuy (previously known as shared-ownership).
It is hoped that the success of these homes, priority for which were given to applicants on the District Council’s Housing List with a Local Connection to Great Milton following a Housing Needs Survey carried out by the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council’s Rural Housing Enabler in 2003, will pave the way to more homes for local families being built as a result of redundant building redevelopment.
John Howell, MP, who opened the new scheme said, “Great Milton is a typical settlement in my constituency - apart from Henley and Thame, this kind and size of village IS rural South Oxfordshire. It’s marvellous to see new affordable housing bringing life into sustaining our area.”
Soha’s Director of Development, Steve Lynch, said “Soha is committed to helping build sustainable communities. This development demonstrates sustainability in every sense; through environmental measures, in terms of conservation - both the care that has been taken to re-locate the bats found in the old building and the appearance of the properties in a Conservation Area, and as a mixed tenure scheme.”
Because Great Milton is a Conservation Area, the architects have taken extra care with the visual appearance of the properties, incorporating timber windows and stone walling for example.
The demolition of the accommodation which made way for the new development had to be halted for some months as it was discovered that the building was a bat roost. Bat boxes have been built into the gables so that, having been relocated under license from Natural England, the creatures have the chance to return to their former home.
Founded in 2003, the ORHP was established to maximise the opportunities for rural communities across Oxfordshire to benefit from new housing. The ORHP is a partnership between the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council, four District Councils, four Housing Associations, Fry Binks Partnership and Leadbitter Construction with funding support from the Homes & Communities Agency.