The first family to settle into their house at a Royston development say it ‘felt like home’ the moment they stepped through the door.

Stuart and Emma Hunter were two of the first buyers to move in to their new home at Affinity, which is being built off Burns Road by Fairview New Homes.

The couple, who previously rented, made use of the government’s help to buy scheme to become homeowners.

Stuart, 33, said: “We wanted to live in Royston and our preference was always for a new build, so we kept an eye on the developments which were coming up.

“We waited for work to start at Affinity as we wanted to find the right house, and the townhouse which we chose was just what we were looking for.

“It felt like home as soon as we moved in.”

Stuart and 27-year-old Emma chose a three-bedroom Nutmeg townhouse at Affinity, where Fairview has named all of its property designs after herbs and spices.

As they made use of help to buy, Stuart and Emma were able to purchase their home with a five per cent deposit and a 75 per cent mortgage.

The remaining 20 per cent is provided by the government as an equity loan which is interest-free for five years.

Stuart said: “Help to buy was really quite straightforward and we found buying using the scheme to be easy.”

Fairview is building 110 new homes in the town and recently opened a show home at Affinity.

The development will bring contributions of more than £500,000 to the town through a planning agreement.

Fairview sales and marketing director Jim Holliday said: “It’s great to see building work on some of the homes completed and people moving in, and I wish all of our residents all the best.”