The first bricks are being laid this week on the Longforth Farm housing development in Wellington and already a raft of houses have been pre-sold and all to local people from the town using the government’s new Help to Buy scheme.

Prospective MP for Taunton Deane, Rebecca Pow made a special visit to the site to see progress for herself:

‘Whilst new housing can be a controversial issue I think this indicates that there is a real need for the right kind of housing in Wellington and people are queuing up to take advantage of the beneficial new deals now available to help people realise their dream of home ownership and get onto the housing ladder.’ 

Jo Humble, Housing Enabling Officer for Taunton Deane is delighted at the early response to the Longforth Farm development:

‘No advertising has been done for this site yet and already 5 houses have been pre-sold  and all to local people. They are either people coming with their parents as it’s their first home or it’s older people looking to downsize, but they all live in Wellington, so it shows there really is a need for the range of affordable housing offered here.’

The Longforth site is being developed by Bloor Homes and offers a mix of open market executive homes, starter homes aided by government grants, low cost housing, shared ownership and rented properties.  The associated infrastructure including a relief road is being integrated into the site as the development expands. The first part of the relief road is in place. 

Picture: Best Foot Forward: Rebecca Pow, prospective Conservative MP for Taunton Deane inspects the Longforth Farm site and discovers that local people are buying up houses under the Help to Buy Scheme before they are even built!  

L – R Lisa Morgan (Bloor Homes) Cllr Vivienne Stock-Williams, Jo Humble (Taunton Deane Borough Council) and Rebecca Pow.  

Picture credit: Alain Lockyer