New housing development at Winkleigh will include affordable homes

Work has begun on the new Castle Green development at Winkleigh for 71 homes which will include 16 social rent properties and five shared ownership homes.

The estate is being built by Lovell and the affordable element is being provided via Westward Housing Group.

The Westward homes will be a mix of flats and houses, with 16 for social rent to local people, to be let through Devon Home Choice.

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The estate will also include five shared ownership two and three bedroom properties. Part-rent, part-buy sales will be through the sales team at Westward with homes advertised on its website in due course. 

Phase one of construction is under way and all homes will be ready by April of next year, Westward Housing Group has said.

The development was recently visited by Torridge and West Devon MP Sir Geoffrey Cox.

Stephen Lodge, chief executive at Westward, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to visit the location of our new homes being built, with the local MP, Sir Geoffrey Cox.

“It gives us an opportunity to show him the difference homes make in rural communities and the importance of affordable housing in Devon.”

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Westward Housing Group said there was clear local housing need for 37 properties in the parish at the start of this year.

It requires a local connection in the first instance – Devon Home Choice will offer them to parish residents, then if there are still homes available to the surrounding parishes and finally if they are still unable to let, then out to the wider district of Torridge.

Westward said other benefits the development will be providing to the community are: contributions for allotments, artificial turf pitch, play and youth play facilities off-site, the sports hall and park off-site, secondary education transport, Great Torrington swimming pool, a Castle Court Monument interpretation board, off-site traffic light / pedestrian crossing between the sports centre and village, community car park, landscaping and ecological / wildlife friendly landscaping.