EIGHTEEN NEW FAMILY HOMES – INCLUDING TEN AFFORDABLE HOMES – HANDED OVER AT CEREMONY IN GREAT HOCKHAM

Eighteen new family homes in Great Hockham have been handed over, the culmination of £4.2 million partnership project led by Broadland Housing Association.

Michael Newey, chief executive of Broadland Housing, and Cllr Sarah Suggitt, deputy leader of Breckland Council, handed over the keys to Lara Linge and Bethany Allen, the first two tenants to move onto the development, at a ceremony at the site on Wretham Road in the village.

Eight of the homes are being made available for affordable rent to people with a local connection, with priority given to people with a connection to Great Hockham or the adjoining parishes who are in housing need.

Two of the homes will be made available on a shared ownership basis, with the remaining eight homes are being sold on the open market.

“This kind of mixed tenure development, with a blend of affordable homes and open-market homes, is increasingly the way forward, both because it makes such schemes financially viable, but also because it encourages a better integration within the community,” said Mr Newey

“We are meeting a genuine need for housing in rural village communities, which will enable local people to find homes in those communities and thus stay close to their support networks and make places such as Great Hockham more sustainable.

“The only solution to the pressing housing need we face is to build more new homes.  The delivery of those homes depends on building a coalition of the willing and the able, as has happened here at Great Hockham.

“We are very grateful to the housing team at Breckland Council who helped the scheme through the housing needs survey and consultation, and Great Hockham Parish Council for their support.  This scheme was voted for unanimously by the Planning committee, which shows the benefit of working in partnership in this way.”

Cllr Suggitt added, “These new homes are addressing a real need in our rural villages, where the provision of new affordable homes is the key to allowing people to live and work in the communities in which they grew up.

“We really appreciate the way the partnership has worked together to deliver these new homes, which are of a very good quality.

“Villages shouldn’t be afraid of new homes being built in their communities when they can be delivered collaboratively with local people, and to such a high standard.”

The 18 new homes were designed by architects Ingleton Wood.  Chris Stammers, architectural director, said, “We’re proud to continue our collaboration with Broadland Housing Association in designing this sensitive rural housing scheme at Great Hockham.

“We’ve tried to echo the charm and strong rural character of the village in a community-focussed setting with the layout of 18 homes grouped in traditional building clusters which are positioned around key landscape features, such as the new attenuation pond and framed views of existing mature trees.

“We hope we’ve helped to create a nice place to live that sits well in the countryside and is appropriate for this delightful village location.”

Case Studies: New Tenants

Lara Linge and her son Ted, who is one and a half, moved into their new affordable rented home in April, after spending a year living in her parents’ home in Watton.

“I am very grateful to be offered this home, as it was cramped and difficult living with my parents,” said Lara, who grew up locally.

“The new home is amazing, it is lovely inside, it’s laid out really nicely.  Not only have I now got a safe garden for Ted, but Great Hockham is a wonderful community with lots going on, and it will be a great place for Ted to grow up.

Living next door to Lara is Bethany Riley-Christopher, who learned that she was to have one of the new homes in Great Hockham just three days after giving birth to her son Riley-Christopher. 

“I was so thrilled when I heard, I did my little happy dance in the middle of Watton, where I was shopping with my mum,” she said.

Bethany now lives in her new home with Riley-Christopher and her daughter Sienna-Rose, who is two.  She was previously living in a cramped flat in Watton.

“Where I was living was really unsuitable, I was struggling to get the pram down the stairs, and it had no outside space for the children,” she said.  “I am so excited to have more space, and a garden for the kids to play in.”