125 NEW affordable homes are close to completion in Moreton in Marsh.

The Cotswolds District Council (CDC) have confirmed the new homes will be ready for occupation soon which has come as a boost given the high demand.

There will be 31 one bedroom apartments, 56 two bedroom apartments, 29 three bedroom, eight four bedroom and one five bedroom that are currently being built by Bovis homes which will form a key part of the Avenue development with first tranche is due to be completed in the next few weeks.

Of the total homes, 44 of them will be socially rented, 61 will be available for shared ownership and 20 will be discounted by the developer.

The socially rented homes will be advertised on Homeseeker Plus, the shared ownership properties will be advertised on Help to Buy South and the discount homes will be advertised directly by Bovis Homes.

Rented homes on this site have been secured at social rent rather than affordable rent, meaning the rents will be more affordable for those in need, furthermore, applicants with a local connection to Moreton will have first preference, regardless of which tenure they are applying for.

14 of the rented homes have already been allocated so if people are interested in the rented homes, they need to apply on Homeseeker Plus as soon as possible ahead of more being advertised.

As part of this allocation process, the homes will be marketed on the CDC web page which provides information about applying for affordable housing.

CDC Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Stephen Hirst said: "Everyone knows that the high demand for property in the Cotswolds makes it very difficult for many people – especially younger residents - to get onto the property ladder.

"The cost of rental property can also be very steep and there is a risk of young home seekers having to move to other areas. That is why it is so important for us to work with organisations like Bovis Homes and Bromford to develop affordable homes suitable for young people – and indeed all age groups - in locations like Moreton.

"At CDC we are committed to providing local homes for local people, and our record is good in comparison with many other local authorities – in fact, we pledged to deliver 150 affordable homes during 2017/18 and we have exceeded that total by over 50.

"We will continue to work with housing providers across the District to ensure that new affordable homes are built for local residents."