THE first 105 affordable houses at Mains Farm, on North Berwick’s southern edge, are set to be completed by November.

Cruden Homes was selected by the North Berwick Trust, which owns the land, to deliver affordable homes at the site, to the south side of Grange Road.

The first three-bedroom homes, set to be completed in November, are now available for sale, with prices starting at £159,600.

The homes are being sold to those who meet specific criteria and qualify for East Lothian Council’s discounted for sale scheme, to help households unable to afford open market housing in North Berwick to buy their own home at an affordable price.

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Gill Henry, head of business development at Cruden Homes, said: “Cruden Homes has worked very closely with the North Berwick Trust to formalise the delivery of the affordable housing with East Lothian Council to ensure it meets the requirements of the local authority’s affordable housing policy and delivers new homes which meet local housing demand.

“Indeed, the close partnership that exists between Cruden, the trust, East Lothian Council and Dunedin Canmore Housing has been instrumental in ensuring the success of this pioneering mixed tenure proposal.”

Malcolm Baker, chairman of North Berwick Trust, said: “We are pleased this provision of affordable housing for North Berwick is coming to fruition and that, by the end of the year, families could be looking forward to living in these new homes.

“The key driver in all the trust’s activities has been delivering real benefit for our local community – whether that be the provision of much-needed affordable housing, a range of private housing, and grants to community groups.”

Councillor Norman Hampshire, East Lothian Council’s housing spokesperson, said: “I am really delighted to see this project under way. The council is committed to providing affordable housing to rent and buy to meet the needs of our growing population across East Lothian.

“It is very heartening we have been able to work closely with Cruden Homes, North Berwick Trust, Dunedin Canmore Housing and the wider community in North Berwick to ensure a development that will work with the local vernacular while delivering much-needed homes”.

The second phase of 55 affordable homes will be developed by Cruden Homes in 2020/21 and 2021/22, and will provide a mix of social rent, mid-market rent and discounted housing for sale.