Marcham dad-of-six Alan Bateman is breathing a sigh of relief after swapping his cramped two-bedroom home for a new four-bedroom detached house thanks to his local social landlord.

University lab technician Alan Bateman, wife Kathryn, and children Christopher (13), Jack (9), Nathan (8), Josh (5), Jake (4), and Samuel (2), are just one of 13 local families, couples or individuals to have taken up residence in the latest £1.6m development at Longfields, by Sovereign Housing Group.

The much-needed family homes were made possible by local landowner and Parish Council chairman William Cumber, who provided the site – the third phase of affordable homes in the village since 1990.

Mr Bateman said he was thrilled with the extra space in his new home, commenting: “In our old place, we had bunk beds in every room and the two youngest in our bedroom.

But this is fantastic. We’ve been able to give our eldest his own room for the first time, and the youngest two are in another. We’ve lived in the village all our lives, and although this is a new development, it’s not made any difference to the character of the village.”

The development was funded mainly by Sovereign, with £460,000 of government subsidy, and features two, three and four bedroom family homes, for rent or shared ownership. The homes were designed by Sovereign’s in-house architects, and planning was secured in April 2006.

Assistant development director Mark Allnutt said: “We’re very grateful to the parish council for being so proactive in its approach to meeting village housing needs. This development is sympathetic to the local surroundings, and shows what can be achieved when housing associations and parish councils work together.”

Published 8 October 2007
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