Nearly 30 low-cost homes will be delivered in Bridgwater town centre after the district council stepped in to buy out a commercial developer.

London-based firm Abracore Ltd. was granted outline planning permission in September 2019 to build 29 new homes on the former Bigwood and Staple printworks on Church Street.

Construction began to progress after more detailed plans were approved in May 2021, with each of the properties being two-bedroom town houses.

But the new homes will now be offered to residents well below the market rate after Sedgemoor District Council bought the site for a cool £4.3M.

The site lies within walking distance of the town centre via The Clink, as well as being in close proximity to the town’s Sainsbury’s, Asda and McDonald’s outlets.

The printworks were destroyed in an arson attack in 2007 and have been vacant ever since – with attempts to build larger numbers of homes on the site being refused by district councillors.

Following the council’s acquisition of the site for £4,339,084, each of the new homes will be offered as ‘affordable rent’ properties, with tenants paying around £74 per week in rent – less than half the current market rate.

Homes in Sedgemoor – which manages around 4,200 homes on the council’s behalf – said it would ensure that the new homes will “go to those who need them most of all”, using the Homefinder Somerset system.

Each of the properties will have one parking space with external cycle storage, with special insulation to aid with soundproofing and air conditioning being installed to prevent mould and condensation.

Peter Hatch, chief executive of Homes in Sedgemoor said: “We are hugely excited at the prospect of managing these new homes in Bridgwater town centre, providing much-needed affordable housing for people in the town.

“It is the first of a series of new and innovative social housing developments
across Sedgemoor that we are involved with, working in partnership with the council.”

The council has overseen the delivery of more than 450 new affordable homes in the district since April 2019.

The new homes will be available to rent from Easter 2023.