A new £1.8m, 15-home affordable housing project has been opened at the site of a former Burnham-On-Sea church hall this week.
The 14 flats and one house were officially opened at the site of the former St Peter’s Hall in Highbridge Road by Raglan Housing Association’s Chief Executive, Nick Harris, and Sedgemoor District Council’s Chairman, Cllr Jane Moreton.
New residents and representatives of both the district and town councils were also on hand to help mark the opening.
The project has cost a total of £1.8million, with £1million coming from the Homes and Communities Agency, plus a small investment from Sedgemoor District Council.
Opening the new development, Mr Harris thanked everyone involved in the project for making it a success.
Cllr Moreton told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The Council is proud of its association with Raglan and we hope that this association will see the two organisations working closely together to build more affordable homes over the coming years.”
Cllr Paul Herbert, Sedgemoor’s Portfolio for Housing, added: “Over the past couple of years, the Authority has successfully overseen a dramatic increase in the numbers of new affordable homes being provided and we are appreciate the role Raglan have played in helping us.”
Sedgemoor’s Affordable Housing Development Manager, Duncan Harvey, told the audience at the opening: “We pushed hard for this project because we recognised its importance in terms of offering affordable housing in an area where opportunities are few and far between.”
“Housing demand in Burnham remains high, with land for affordable housing development almost non-existent.”
“Not only should we welcome these 15 new rented homes, we should recognise the contribution it makes to the wider physical regeneration of Burnham and the timely boost to the local economy during this testing times.”
Burnham-On-Sea.com reported in December 2008 how Sedgemoor District Council had approved the proposals by Raglan to demolish St Peter’s Hall, located opposite Burnham’s Catholic Church.
Pictured (top) is the new development; (centre) Raglan’s Chief Executive, Nick Harris, and Sedgemoor District Council’s Chairman, Cllr Jane Moreton; and (bottom) how the site looked before when St Peter’s Hall was still in place
