The latest tranche of affordable homes at the Wellington Gate development in Grove, near Wantage, is being transferred to a local housing provider as the wider scheme continues to take shape.
Persimmon Homes Wessex has handed over homes to Pinnacle Spaces, which will manage the properties on behalf of CBRE Investment Management (CBRE IM), which funded them through its UK Affordable Housing Fund.
The homes form part of the seventh and eighth parcels of the development on the former Grove Airfield site.
A total of 35 properties from Phase Seven and 49 from the eighth parcel are due to be transferred under the agreement. Sixteen homes from Phase Seven have been handed over this summer, alongside six from Phase Eight.
The handover was marked on site by representatives of Persimmon, CBRE IM and Pinnacle, alongside Ron Batstone, a councillor for Grove at parish, district and county level.
The affordable homes form part of a much larger development. Persimmon has outline planning permission for up to 1,500 homes at Wellington Gate and is seeking consent for a further development of up to 624 homes on land next to the existing site.
The scheme has also included community infrastructure, with a primary school and sports pitches already delivered. A new secondary school associated with the development is due to open next month.
The latest handover comes as the need for affordable housing remains a significant issue across Oxfordshire, where new housing developments are increasingly expected to contribute to local housing provision.
Batstone said the homes would provide greater housing security for people in Grove and the surrounding area.
“I am very pleased to know that these new, high-quality properties will soon be home to local people in Grove and the wider area,” he said.
John Gantlett, land and planning director at Persimmon Homes Wessex, said the handover demonstrated the company’s contribution to affordable housing provision as part of the development.
“We are very happy to be working with CBRE IM and Pinnacle as part of our ambitious partnership,” he said.
Pinnacle Group, which will manage the properties, said its focus would be on maintaining the homes and providing responsive support to residents.
Ann Xu, portfolio manager for the CBRE UK Affordable Housing Fund, said the homes would make a difference to families on the housing waiting list in Grove.
Wellington Gate is continuing to expand on the former airfield site, with the delivery of housing accompanied by new education and recreational facilities.
Persimmon currently has homes for sale at the development ranging from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses.
