New affordable eco-homes completed in Northamptonshire

A new development of affordable eco-homes has been completed on the site of a former "eyesore" in a Northamptonshire village.

Eleven houses have been built on the site of the derelict Shelton's shoe factory on Eastfield Road, Wollaston.

The combination of houses and flats are available to people with a connection to Wollaston who are on the council's housing register.

The scheme was funded with more than £604,000 in grants.

Of that sum, £480,000 came from the Homes and Communities Agency and £124,000 from the Borough Council of Wellingborough.

Warm house

The homes benefit from environmentally-friendly measures such as extra insulation and air source heat pumps, which extract heat from the air for radiators and hot water.

Tracy Whittmore, who moved into the development this week with her partner and their two young daughters, said: "We have family in Wollaston and it was great that we managed to get one of these houses.

"It's absolutely perfect for us. The house is really warm and my daughter is sleeping better than she ever did."

Councillor Peter Morall, chairman of Wellingborough council's community committee, said: "It's important that we have sufficient affordable housing for people who want to remain in or return to their home villages so this development has been prioritised for people with a connection to Wollaston.

"We're also really pleased that these homes are on this particular site as the shoe factory had been derelict for a long time and had become an eyesore."