NEW build homes in Trowbridge have been crowned the best affordable homes in the South West.

These 22 two and three bedroomed homes were deemed to be the best option for people hoping to get on the property ladder.

The £3.4 million development at Southview Park in Sparrow Street was built last year by Wiltshire Council.

The showhome offers a three bedroomed house worth £240,000 that could be bought through a shared ownership scheme of between 50 per cent and 75 per cent.

Other homes can be rented at 80 per cent of the private market value under the affordable rent scheme.

Now 22 families live there using either affordable rent and shared ownership schemes.

Each house is eco friendly, with thermal insulation and photovoltaic roof panels to keep running costs down.

The Trowbridge development could even go on to be crowned top in the country at the Local Authority Building Control Building Excellence Awards in November.

Colin Chiles, operations director at construction company Stepnell, said: “We are delighted to have Southview Park recognised as the top affordable housing developments in the region is a brilliant achievement and one we are very proud of.

“In order to keep the homes in line with their affordable offering, we worked with BBA Architects on the design process to ensure that the running costs were kept to a minimum for its residents.”

Cllr Richard Clewer oversees housing at Wiltshire Council and said: “The rooms sizes in these houses are larger than the requirements for new homes, we have done this to make them more comfortable to live in. We also put some adaptations in already such as the downstairs shower room so that some changes people might need to make in the future have already been done.

“This award is great news for the house build team, and it has been an interesting learning curve for Wiltshire Council as the District Councils has not built any kind of housing for a number of years.”