85 homes built on Winterhay Lane, Ilminster, by May 2021

Housing association LiveWest and its construction partner Halsall have been redeveloping the former factory site on Winterhay Lane to deliver 85 new affordable homes.

The site in the north-west of the town was occupied by heating and air conditioning firm Powrmatic before its relocation to the Hort Bridge site a mile down the road, nearer to the A303.

The homes will be officially released in a ceremony in early-May, giving first-time buyers in the area a golden opportunity to get on the first rung of the property ladder.

Outline plans for the site’s redevelopment were initially approved by South Somerset District Council in January 2015, comprising 72 homes, communal green space and up to 600 sq m of offices at the eastern end of the site.

Amended plans, which saw the offices replaced with more homes and the green space relocated, were approved in June 2019.

Of the 85 homes being delivered on the site, 40 will be rental, 25 will be shared ownership and 20 will be rent to buy.

LiveWest development manager Sammi Hunt said: “The new homes at Winterhay Lane provide a fantastic opportunity for local people to access great affordable homes and get a foot on the property ladder.

“There is a genuine choice of property – people can part rent, part buy their new home through the shared ownership scheme.

“For those that want to own a home in Ilminster but cannot afford it right now, there is the option of rent to buy, and there are affordable rented homes too.

“We hope that these new affordable homes will help to tackle the housing shortage in the area and help more local people find a good quality home close to their friends, family and workplace.”

The government’s rent to buy scheme is designed to help people become homeowners if they cannot afford their initial deposit.

Such properties are made available for first-time buyers to rent at 80 per cent of market rental value for up to five years, before the occupier gets first refusal to buy it.

While paying 20 per cent less in rent, the resident has the opportunity to build up a deposit to buy the property, or another one, after the initial rent period has elapsed. But there is no obligation to buy the property if the resident decides not to.

The Winterhay Lane development was part-funded through a £2.8M grant from Homes England – the government agency which is currently working with Sedgemoor District Council to deliver a first 80 low-cost homes near the Willow Man sculpture in Bridgwater.

The Ilminster development will also commemorate former town councillor Paul Whaites, who died in 2013, through a memorial bench in the green open space and naming one of the estate roads Whaites Drive.

Councillor Brian Hamilton, who represents the Ilminster ward on South Somerset District Council, said: “Having been given the opportunity to

view some of the completed houses ready for occupation, I was extremely impressed with the quality and layout of LiveWest’s latest development.

“I have no doubt that these houses are much anticipated and will provide families, couples and individuals in Ilminster a great opportunity to access the housing market if they want to.”

Adam Davies, customer experience manager for Halsall, added: “The opportunity to work with our long-standing customer LiveWest on this project has been excellent.

“We are extremely proud to be working with them once again to deliver high-quality affordable housing in this area, particularly on a brownfield site, and to aid them in tackling the housing shortage.

“We are committed to developing strong relationships with our customers and these homes illustrate this as well as our expertise in delivering residential projects across the South West of England.”