A new, £19.5 million affordable housing development is beginning to take shape in the North Yorkshire village of Aiskew, near Bedale.

Broadacres is working in partnership with top 10 UK homebuilder Keepmoat to provide 88 new homes in the village.

All the homes, which are being built by Keepmoat on behalf of Broadacres, will be affordable with 49 for rent and 39 for shared ownership, the latter enabling people to get a foot on the property ladder without having to secure large mortgages.

The development will feature a mixture of one, two, three and four-bedroom houses to benefit a cross-section of the community.

The scheme, just off Blind Lane and beside the Wensleydale Railway, was given the go-ahead by North Yorkshire Council in 2023 and meets the authority’s objective of increasing the number of two and three-bedroom homes in the area, improving options for smaller families and couples and allowing older people to downsize.

All 88 homes will be heated by renewable energy air source heat pumps and have other energy saving features, such as triple glazed windows and have enhanced levels of insulation to make them net zero ready.

People living in the Aiskew, and surrounding areas will be given first priority when the homes are completed and this forms part of Broadacres’ strategy of ensuring its rural communities remain sustainable for future generations.

The first homes will be handed over in October 2024 and the first sales will be released on 15th July.