A housing development compromising of entirely affordable housing was officially opened in Calne on Wednesday (September 13).

GreenSquare’s newest development is a mixture of 12 one and two-bedroom properties on Abberd Way, bringing much needed affordable housing to the area.

A celebration was held on Wednesday to mark the completion of the new houses, with local residents joining members of GreenSquare, Wiltshire Council, Calne Town Council, and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Nicky Collins and Martin Hooper who have moved into one of the two-bedroom properties with their two young children cut the ribbon to mark the grand opening.

Miss Collins said: “We had been living with my father so this is our first place together – we can’t believe it is so nice. We’re all settled in and it already feels like home.

“There is a real shortage of affordable homes in the area,” Mr Hooper explained, “So when we found out these new homes were being built here, we were really excited and were delighted to have been lucky enough to be allocated a house here.”

An empty block of flats and 38 garages were demolished to make way for the much needed affordable housing in the area.

Howard Toplis, GreenSquare’s chief executive, said: “This is a fantastic development – the properties are built to a really high quality and they look great, blending in well with the surrounding area.

“In Wiltshire, like most places across the country, there is a shortage of homes that people can afford to live in, so we’re proud to be able to build developments like this one that offer affordable homes.

“It was really good to speak to some of our residents today and it’s wonderful to hear that people already feel at home here.”

The development benefited from £450,000 funding from the Homes and Communities Agency.