St Giles in the Wood wins Devon Rural Housing Award

These eight new homes were delivered as a result of five years close partnership working between St Giles in the Wood Parish Council, Torridge District Council, Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), Devon Rural Housing Enablers and Devon & Cornwall Housing (DCH). Winning the Rural Housing Award for the ‘Most Effective Community Group’ is a great achievement which recognises all the hard work put in by all the partners.

Rural Housing Week is taking place in the South West from Monday 3 October to Sunday 9 October. The week aims to raise awareness of the value of affordable housing for keeping local communities and villages alive. Shops, post offices, schools and pubs are disappearing as local people are being priced out of rural England.

Eight local families each with strong connections to the village of St Giles in the Wood, Torrington have moved into their new homes provided by Tor Homes, part of Devon & Cornwall Housing. The architects who designed the scheme were Trewin Design and the properties were built by Pearce Construction.

The St Giles in the Wood scheme has been supported with investment of more than £500,000 from the HCA, with an additional funding from the District Council.

The new houses have been built to Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and have an innovative air source heat pump system providing heating and hot water, which will cut running costs and benefit the residents.

The announcement of the winners was made by Graham Davey chair of the Devon Rural Housing Partnership.Mr Davey said; “The awards were initiated because of the recognition that the most successful affordable rural housing projects are driven by a particularly committed individual or community group that refused to give up despite the difficulties faced. The award seeks to acknowledge and celebrate such commitment.We hope to use these examples to inspire others”.

Alan Partridge, Development Policy Manager, Devon & Cornwall Housing; “St Giles in the Wood Parish Council has exhibited vision, understanding, co-operation, good communications, determination and patience in overseeing progress from a good idea to the reality of eight new homes. The level of community support and the absence of any objectors to the plans for the schemeis testimony to the council’s knowledge and effectiveness. We here at DCH are extremely proud to be involved in such a successful partnership which has won this prestigious award”.