New Year, New Home, New Start!

It’s a new year and a new home for the Ramsbottom family. However, this new home comes after a long wait – six and a half years on a social housing waiting list to be exact.

David and Krystle Ramsbottom and their three children Kaitlin (6), Chloe (5) and Dannielle (4) are one of the first of six families to be provided with a brand new house in Bury by Contour Homes, one of the region’s biggest social housing landlords. Contour Homes has developed six new family properties on the Rivers estate in Bury and the Ramsbottom family managed to move in just before Christmas.

“We thought we would be on the housing list forever,” said David Ramsbottom who works for the civil service in Bury. “But the wait has been worth it as we never dreamt we would get a new house built to such a high standard. We just love everything about it from the location, to the inside space, to the garden. We really couldn’t be happier!”

The three bedroom semi detached properties are being made available to local families for rent and will provide much needed additional affordable accommodation in the area. All properties have been built on land which was previously used for garages.

The £757,000 scheme has been supported by the Homes and Communities Agency with a £408,000 grant and has been architect designed to make them energy efficient and sustainable.

Andrea Swanwick from Contour Homes said: “There are solar panels in the roof which will provide hot water, energy saving light bulbs in each room and the property has been designed as a ‘home for life’ which means it can easily be adapted as the Ramsbottom's get older and their needs change. We have also designated these properties as ‘home grow zones’ which means each home has a dedicated space for an allotment – these have gone down really well.”

David Ramsbottom said the allotment is one of the best things about the new house. “We had a small green house in our previous property as Krystle is really keen to grow her own food and get the girls interested in gardening and home grown produce. She was over the moon when she found out the new house had its own space to do just that,” he said.

Externally the homes are ‘safer by design’. The homes are built in a cul-de-sac and already the children have found new playmates.

“My chair is right next to the window so I can sit and watch them as they play with their new friends in the safety of the small cul-de-sac,” adds David. “They have recently started at the local primary school and things couldn’t be any better for us. 2010 marks the start of a new home and a new life for all of us. It’s just brilliant!”