MUCH-NEEDED low-cost homes will be built near Cheddar and Highbridge following a decision by the district council.

Sedgemoor District Council has given its backing to two separate schemes which will deliver 27 new homes between them in the coming 18 months.

Of these, 20 will be built in Axbridge by the Stonewater housing association, while seven in Brent Knoll will be purchased by the council through a 30-year loan, which will be repaid through rental income.

The council’s executive signed off both projects at a meeting in Bridgwater on Wednesday morning (August 7).

The Axbridge development at Meadow View will cost £4.8M,of which around £4.5M will come from Stonewater itself, Homes England and other forms of subsidy or “inward investment”.

The remaining £300,000 is being given by the council as a grant, on the understanding that every home within the development will be genuinely affordable to local residents.

Duncan Harvey, the council’s service manager for housing development, said Stonewater would ensure this commitment was in place once it purchased the site.

He said: “At the moment, it [the site] will only deliver seven affordable homes, but they recognise the need in Axbridge and they want to make them all affordable.”

In Brent Knoll, the council will borrow just over £1M to purchase seven properties from Coln Residential within a wider development.

Of these, two will be one-bedroom flats, two will be two-bedroom terraced houses, two will be three-bedroom semi-detached houses and one will be a four-bedroom detached house.

Mr Harvey said: “We are not putting subsidy into this – we will recoup all this through the rents from the homes.”

Council leader Duncan McGinty said: “Given the government’s change of heart and the removal of the borrowing cap, we are now in a position to build more houses, and to purchase this to increase our housing stock.”

Deputy leader Gill Slocombe added: “I think this is exactly what we should be doing.

“This is a great investment and is good for the people of Sedgemoor.”

The executive voted to approve both proposals with less than half an hour’s debate.