News

All 16 affordable homes contained within the 32 home development at Rosehill in Lostwithiel have now been assigned to individuals and families from the local area, the scheme’s developer has announced.

With building work set to commence in the new year, Christopher Taylour, development director of Wycliffe Estates Ltd, said the process of allocating the homes at Castle Hill had been thorough and fair, with properties assigned on a first-come first-served basis as long as buyers met eligibility criteria set by Cornwall Council, such as having relevant family, work or residential connections with the town and being able to obtain a mortgage.

The scheme comprises of properties ranging from one-bedroom flats to three-bedroom houses and is aimed primarily at first-time buyers who want to get onto the housing ladder. The development, on land specifically designated by Lostwithiel Town Council for affordable housing, will also include another 16 properties for sale on the open market.

“After a long and open process, I’m very pleased to announce that we’ve found the future owners of these 16 properties,” he said.

“They are all delighted to have been successful and, while some of those who applied will inevitably be disappointed, I want to stress that this isn’t the end of the story for them. People who were unlucky this time will be priority applicants for any future affordable housing development by Wycliffe Estates in Lostwithiel, which is a possibility we’re exploring at the moment.

”The completion of Castle Hill, scheduled for late next year, will be great news not only for the successful applicants but for the town as a whole, and it’s important to remember that these properties are genuinely affordable, as officially defined by Cornwall Council, meaning they will cost from £67,000 to no more than £115,000.

”We’ve had a lot of support from the Town Council and I’d like to thank them for their confidence in us and for doing so much on behalf of the people of Lostwithiel to help us reach this milestone.”

Miss Kerry Bradley who works in Lostwithiel said: “I am super excited about having a nice modern house in the town of Lostwithiel where my partner was brought up and I work and socialise.”

Local On-call Fire-fighter and postman Max Stone said: “As a part-time fire-fighter it is crucial that I live in the town and so the chance to buy a quality affordable house in Lostwithiel was a fantastic opportunity. It also means that my family can remain here in the community they come from.”

Mayor David Robson said: “I’m very happy for the successful applicants. Castle Hill will be a wonderful place to live and I’m sure they’ll be very happy there.

“Because it’s privately funded rather than depending on government grants, Castle Hill is protected from the public spending cuts which threaten many other affordable housing schemes across the country. This shows the Town Council was right to give its wholehearted support to Wycliffe Estates’ plans.”

Wycliffe Estates is about to appoint a contractor for the project, which will be announced soon and is also on the lookout for a local solicitor to handle all the conveyancing at Rosehill.

Christopher Taylour said: “Because legal costs can be high we are looking for a local solicitor to take care of the all the affordable sales in one go in order to pass the savings onto the buyer. If there are any lawyers interested please get in touch.”