WORK STARTS ON NINE NEW COUNCIL HOUSES IN LAXFIELD

A sod-cutting ceremony has marked the start of nine new council houses in Laxfield – part of a project to build 65 new homes in Mid Suffolk and Babergh, the first new council houses in either district for nearly 30 years.

Mid Suffolk District Council’s Housing Portfolio Holder, Cllr Nick Gowrley, and Cllr Julie Flatman, Ward Member for Stradbroke and Laxfield, were joined by Paul Pitcher, of Suffolk-based construction firm Wellington, in cutting the first sod to mark the start of the £1 million project to build nine houses, flats and bungalows on two sites in the village.

Four one-bedroom flats and two two-bedroom homes will be built on the Noyes Avenue site, where the ceremony took place, with three two-bedroom bungalows set to be built on a separate site on Mill Road.  All of the homes will be let under ‘local needs’ rules, with priority being given to people on Mid Suffolk District Council’s housing register.

The Laxfield project is part of a wider initiative announced last year to build 38 new council homes in Mid Suffolk and 27 in Babergh.  The project is being delivered with development partner, Havebury Housing Partnership, with the homes constructed by Lowestoft-based Wellington.

Cllr Nick Gowrley, Mid Suffolk District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: “I am delighted to be helping to cut the first sod on what will be amongst our first new council homes in nearly three decades.  It is exciting to think that in just a few months from now families, with real housing need, will be living here in modern, energy-efficient homes.

“Villages like Laxfield have a need for all types of housing to allow people to live in their own local area.  Mid Suffolk is committed to ensuring there are the right types of houses, the right amount, and in the right locations in our district. We are being proactive in seizing opportunities to fulfil that commitment.”

Cllr Julie Flatman, ward member for Stradbroke and Laxfield, said: “I am delighted this development will benefit the existing residents by giving them more parking and that these new homes will enable more people and families to live in the areas they grew up in, or have a connection with. I look forward to seeing them receive their keys, and welcoming them to the community, in the near future!”

Paul Pitcher, managing director of Lowestoft-based constructor Wellington, which has won the £1 million contract to build the new homes in Laxfield, said, “We are delighted to be breaking the ground at this site and starting to build these nine new homes in the village. 

“As a locally-based firm, we take great pride in building top quality affordable homes in the area, and we have done so at many sites across Suffolk and Norfolk.  Not only is this providing much needed homes for local people, but it is also creating employment for local people as well.”

The nine new homes are set to be completed later this year.