A GROUP of 18 affordable homes have been officially opened in Burbage, where rents start from £124.18 a week for a one-bed flat to £248.37 for a four-bed house.

Social housing provider Stonewater financed the £2.4 million mixed tenure scheme at St Dunstan’s Place in Bourne Way.

Alongside the 11 homes for rent are seven others which will be sold on a shared ownership basis.

Cllr Richard Clewer, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for housing, said: “Building strong communities is very important to Wiltshire Council and we are working hard to make sure sufficient affordable homes are available for those who need them.”

"Affordable housing is not only vital to the long-term sustainability of Burbage but other rural villages across the county which all depend on people living and working in these communities to support schools, post-offices, pubs and other vital services in the community,” explains Jonathan Layzell, Stonewater’s executive director for development.

“These new Stonewater homes are helping to address this housing shortage by providing the types of low-cost housing that local people want, where they want it, at a realistic price they can afford.

"But with just eight per cent of the country’s rural housing currently affordable, we need many more schemes in Wiltshire like this one to keep our villages and countryside alive.”