A NEW £4m investment will be put towards building more affordable homes in Trowbridge.

Wiltshire Council confirmed at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday that an agreement had been fleshed out to have an extra 22 houses built at the Southview Park site, where 28 council homes are already being built.

The 22 new-build homes include a mix of nine one-bed flats, three two-bed flats, five two-bed houses and five three-bed houses.

They will be occupied by residents from Wiltshire Council’s housing waiting list.

Richard Clewer, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: "This is great news for Wiltshire, adding new homes where they are needed for individuals and families who need a comfortable, warm and safe place to live.

"Once again we are investing in our communities – growing our economy and meeting a pressing social need by providing more affordable homes to rent and buy."

The extra homes are scheduled for completion by the autumn of 2019.

The initial phase of 28 new homes at Southview – an investment of £5m – is on target for completion this winter.

The contractor, Stepnell, has secured the tender to build the additional homes.

The authority says this is on top of the 158 homes which it has pledged to complete by 2020 with an investment of £30.5m.

The £4m comes from funding from developers and social care capital grants from central Government.