A new shared ownership scheme is helping homebuyers in Stafford step onto the property ladder.
All 25 new private homes now built at Linden Homes’ Partridge Walk location, off Stone Road, in the Beaconside area of the town, have been bought using the Home Stepper initiative.
The scheme was launched by Linden Homes and Sage Homes to help people who can’t afford to purchase a home outright get onto the property ladder, by offering homes on a part-buy, part-rent basis. This makes buying more affordable for people on lower incomes and with smaller deposits.
So far, the housebuilder has built and sold 25 of the 102 private homes at Partridge Walk and the buyers have moved in. Local people have also been handed the keys to 15 of the 31 affordable homes being delivered on the site via low-cost rent or shared ownership.
Freya Halsall, marketing manager at Linden Homes, said: “Home Stepper is a fantastic new scheme which is already making a huge difference to people’s lives, helping buyers in Stafford secure a new home much sooner than they might have anticipated.
“Under the scheme, a 50 per cent share in a three-bedroom Eveleigh home at Partridge Walk can be purchased for as little as £137,498 and a similar share of a three-bedroom Elmslie home is available from £144,998. These fabulous new-build homes are ideal for a range of purchasers but especially first-time buyers and young families.
“There is a lot of interest in Partridge Walk and the homes we have sold so far have been a collection of two, three and four-bedroom properties.
“The vast majority of the buyers have been local people who are drawn by the chance to purchase an energy-efficient new home for a price that is much cheaper than they ever imaged. They recognise the appeal of the location which is two miles from the centre of Stafford but has easy access to the countryside and is a short distance from the M6.
“It is great to be able to report that 36 homes are now occupied and a brand-new community is starting to take shape. These residents have settled in well and a distinct neighbourhood feeling already exists. This sense of belonging will only grow stronger as more and more residents move in.”
Linden Homes is part of Vistry Group, which also includes Bovis Homes and Countryside Homes.
Partridge Walk is part of a joint project between Vistry and Barratt to build 700 new homes. These properties will be part of a wider scheme to bring up to 2,000 new homes to Beaconside.
Vistry Group and Barratt are set to invest £10 million into the area as part of the planning agreement. Vistry is contributing just over £4.8 million, of which more than £1.4 million will go to primary schools, over £1 million will go towards primary schools and more than £1.8 million will go towards roads and public transport.
