OCEAN Housing held an open day on September 28, allowing people in Camelford to find out more about the new affordable housing development on the town’s former primary school site, writes Rosie Cripps.

The event gave people the chance to chat with the developers and look at the layout of the new homes on detailed design boards.

The one to four bed houses are currently undergoing construction at the site, and are due for completion in mid February 2017. The housing is under a mixed scheme, including affordable rent (with Ocean Housing), shared ownership and open market (with Gilbert and Goode). Anyone is free to look into the housing, but the company is encouraging local first time buyers first and foremost.

Ocean Housing sale co-ordinator, Nicola Mitchell, said: “We’ve had a really good response. We’ve also had a lot of support from the town mayor and the town council, who have done a lot for us through social media.

“We’ve had really good feedback from the community, and are already receiving phone calls about the houses, so we are feeling really positive.”

The Ocean Housing team reported that the houses are now ‘really well underway’.

The frontage has been completed and the open market bungalow are currently undergoing construction. The housing site will also feature a green space.

Nicola added: “We’re striving to make sure as many local Camelford residents as possible are able to stay where they want to. A saying we have at Ocean Housing is ‘being at the heart of the community’, and that’s what we’re trying to bring to the town. The houses aren’t all crammed, and there’s a green space, so we’re really trying to make it become a little community in Camelford.”

Camelford town mayor, Rob Rotchell, is all for the new affordable housing scheme, and attended the open day to speak to staff and locals who are interested in the properties.

He said: “This is definitely a positive thing for the town; the buildings are a good size, and there’s a good blend of properties to rent or buy. As a development, it’s very balanced and I think it’s a very positive move.

“The key bit to all of this is how it’s going to help young people in the town. The development really is addressing people on the Camelford list who are wanting to rent. In terms of the purchase scheme, people need to have a close look at that because, really, it isn’t too much more expensive than rental.

“Sometimes, I think people think it’s cheaper to rent rather than getting a mortgage. But in this case, I think it’s worth people getting in touch with Ocean to look at purchasing a property and moving forward with them.”