Homes for Cornwall has celebrated the success of a brand new development of 100 per cent affordable homes in Blackwater near Truro.

The housing scheme of seven shared ownership homes and 15 homes for rent, has been built as part of Homes for Cornwall, an initiative launched in 2014 which brings together Cornwall Council, leading house building and construction group Galliford Try, and housing association DCH.

The initiative has already delivered its first 31 affordable homes on sites in Wadebridge and Blackwater and is on track to deliver over 430 new homes across Cornwall over the next four years. Eight households from St Agnes Parish have already moved into their new homes on the Blackwater development and the 11 shared ownership homes are in the process of being sold.

Eleven council owned sites were identified for potential housing development as part of the council's housing investment plan and the Homes for Cornwall partnership has now delivered the first of these new homes. Releasing and building on council-owned land both provides affordable housing and money which will be re-invested in more land for further possible development.

Cornwall Council cabinet member for housing, Joyce Duffin, said: "The delivery of housing and, in particular, the delivery of affordable housing to meet local housing needs, is a key priority of the community and of the council. During the last two years, the council has helped to deliver 1,600 new affordable homes, despite the fragile economic climate.

"We reinvest funds generated from the Homes for Cornwall initiative to buy more land and then provide more affordable housing. We are delighted that the relationship with our partners, who bring additional necessary skills and resources, has resulted in the delivery of high quality homes, with such a high proportion of affordable housing to meet local needs.”

Andrew Johnston, managing director for Galliford Try Partnerships South West, added: "We are delighted to be a part of this exciting initiative providing much needed homes for Cornwall. Since launching the initiative we have delivered over 50 high quality new homes for local people enabling them to stay within their communities. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Cornwall Council and DCH to deliver lasting change, transforming lives and landscapes across the county.“

Russell Baldwinson, group development director at DCH, added: “With significant demand for housing across the region one of our primary focuses as an organisation is to deliver new homes, with a focus on affordable homes, with this initiative representing an exemplar approach to achieving this. As well as delivering housing, initiatives such as this, also have the added benefit of creating employment opportunities for local people and bringing substantial investment into the local economy.”

Under Cornwall Council’s proposed medium term financial plan, of the £700m to be invested in capital schemes over the next five years, £150m has been earmarked for housing growth, with a total of £43 million due to be spent by the council on providing affordable homes for local people.