A grant towards five affordable homes “to go to local people” in Meldreth has been awarded to the developer by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

The £215,000 will go to developer Settle from the Mayoral Combined Authority's £100m Affordable Housing Programme, making possible the four flats and a bungalow in Whaddon Road.

Chair of the Mayoral Combined Authority Housing and Communities Committee, Councillor Graham Bull, said: "Additional affordable housing is urgently required in Meldreth.

"A local needs assessment found that 45 households made up of people living in Meldreth or having a local connection, needed affordable homes.

"This scheme for four two-bedroomed flats will go towards meeting this need, and the shared ownership bungalow will also provide an opportunity for downsizing.

"Settle will work with the housing team at South Cambridgeshire District Council to ensure these new homes are offered to local people."

Mayor James Palmer and the combined authority have prioritised speeding up delivery of affordable housing to meet needs across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and to support economic growth in the region.

Subject to a successful construction tender process, site work could begin next month with scheme completion in October 2020.

Affordable rental levels will be capped at the local housing allowance level.

Social housing provider Settle was formed in 2003 as North Hertfordshire Homes, the firm's name was changed in summer 2018 and it now owns and manages more than 9,000 properties.

Settle chief executive Gavin Cansfield said: "Our purpose is to help people who are struggling to find a place to live, and to help them live comfortably in their homes.

"We're committed to providing more affordable homes and we're delighted to be working with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority to deliver these five much-needed new properties in South Cambridgeshire".

The development site comprises a parcel of land which borders Whaddon Road, Burtons, and West Way. Full planning permission for the four apartments and one bungalow was granted in December 2018.