TWENTY-TWO new affordable family homes in Upton Dene, Chester, have been praised by City of Chester MP Chris Matheson on a visit to the properties.

The Labour MP visited the Upton Dene site on Liverpool Road to celebrate the completion of Weaver Vale Housing Trust’s first homes in the city.

The Trust has taken ownership of 11 flats and family homes for affordable rent and 11 three-bedroom homes for shared ownership sale at the site. The 22 affordable homes form part of a wider Morris Homes development consisting of 74 new homes being built in this phase.

The homes are part the Trusts’ commitment to deliver 800 new affordable homes by 2026 across Cheshire and Warrington.

The shared ownership homes’ starting price of £209,000 for a three-bed terrace compares to properties in Upton overall fetching an average of £307,969 over the last year.

Shares of between 25 per cent and 75 per cent will be available, so much lower deposits will be required than standard sale homes.

Jo Fallon, assistant director of development at Weaver Vale, said: “Chester is a beautiful and desirable place to live. The earlier than expected addition of these new homes will be welcome, as they crucially increase the number of affordable houses in the area.”

Weaver Vale partnered with developer Morris Homes on the scheme. Upton Dene is now the fourth collaboration between the two Cheshire-based organisations.

The homes available for sale will be managed by Prospa Homes, the shared ownership branch of Weaver Vale Housing Trust.

City of Chester MP, Chris Matheson, said: "It was a pleasure to visit Upton Dene and to see the huge progress that has been made. As we face a national housing crisis, genuinely affordable homes have never been more important, and I commend the work that has been done to deliver these properties in Chester.

“There is a real community feel at Upton Dene, and I know this will be a positive addition to the city. Thank you very much to Weaver Vale for taking the time to show me around."