Wessex region transfers final homes to HA partner at Witney

Persimmon Wessex has transferred the final homes to a housing association provider at its Witney development.

Cottsway is the largest social housing provider in West Oxfordshire and they have been working with Persimmon to provide 38 new Affordable Homes - a mix of 1-bedroom maisonettes and 2, 3 and 4-bed houses - at the Windrush Place site.

Last week, the region transferred the final two new homes on the site to the housing association provider – both are 4-bed houses for affordable rent.

Julian Roper, Persimmon Managing Director, said:

“We’re delighted to have been able to honour some of the past people who have lived in Witney through the development’s street names.

“Persimmon is determined to leave a positive legacy in the local area through the provision of new homes and jobs, and we are very pleased to have partnered with Cottsway on the delivery of these affordable properties in the area.”

Colin Bloodworth, Director of Development and Partnerships at Cottsway, said:

“We’re committed to growing our affordable housing stock – both for rent and shared ownership. It’s imperative that we support those in housing need and Cottsway has an ambitious development programme in place to support local people.

“Demand for affordable housing is high and Witney is one of the key towns in our catchment area and so we’re delighted to have worked with Persimmon on this scheme.

“We have already welcomed customers to this new development and look forward to handing over the keys to the final two homes.”

To reflect the history of the town, Witney Town Council have named many of the streets on the new development after people who have a connection to Witney, including:

• Olley Crescent - named after Hugh Olley, a flying instructor at Witney Aerodrome during the 1930s who was tragically killed when test flying the locally designed and built ‘Willoughby Delta’ aircraft.
• Patrick Steptoe Close – named after Patrick Steptoe who attended Witney Grammar School (now The Henry Box School) and later went on to be dually responsible for developing in vitro fertilisation.

The Cottsway homes are part of a much larger development at Windrush Place which will have around 1,000 homes in total along with a new primary school, community centre, sports pitches and a pavilion.