A HOUSING developer has received government funding to build additional housing in South Gloucestershire.

Merlin Housing Society, based in Chipping Sodbury, has secured £2.5m to fund the development of 89 homes by 2021.

Their exact locations are yet to be decided, however they have already identified sites in Filton and Cadbury Heath for half of the homes, and are looking to build in Little Stoke and Downend, as well as unspecified sites.

Their head of development Amanda Swann said: “We’re delighted to have received this funding, which was exactly what we applied for. We’ve got ambitious plans to increase our development programme over the next few years and this funding will help us deliver these much-needed new shared ownership homes.”

Their funding was granted under the government’s Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme, which has awarded £1.28bn to build 39,403 homes across the country.

“Shared ownership is growing in importance for us as a type of tenure we can offer to new customers. At a time when house prices are continuing to rise, shared ownership offers a fantastic chance for first-time buyers to find a home that they can afford. This funding will allow us to increase the number of shared ownership homes we can offer over the coming years,” she added.

Their announcement follows South Gloucestershire Council’s consultations on plans for growth in the region outlined in their Joint Spatial Plan (JSP).

This aims to build up to 105,000 new homes across South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bristol City, and Bath and North East Somerset by 2036 - in response to what they regard as an acute need to deliver new homes over the next 20 years.

They plan to build up to 105,000 new homes across this region by 2036. Around 66,000 new homes have already been planned for by the councils in response to what they regard as an acute need to deliver new homes over the next 20 years.