PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Riviera Housing Trust is marking the completion of 58 stunning new affordable homes on Foxhole Road, Paignton, with a celebratory event tomorrow, Thursday, 8th January.

Residents Mr and Mrs Cross will celebrate the occasion with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11.45am.

Mr and Mrs Cross relocated from Manchester to Torquay three years ago to be closer to their family and were previously living in unsuitable accommodation with their granddaughter, who they raise as their own.

With the support of local agencies, in particular Folks at Home, the couple applied through Homefinder for a move to more suitable accommodation on Foxhole Road and were successful in their bid for a home, described by Mrs Cross as ‘a dream come true’.

The Foxhole Road development, which was completed in November 2008, provides a combination of 35 houses and 23 flats for affordable rent, replacing 32 previously structurally defective homes on the site.

The total cost of the development was £6.5 million, of which £4 million was funded by Riviera, and is the first phase of an on-going scheme to provide more affordable housing in the area.

Managed by Riviera Housing Trust, the five-phase scheme, once complete, will boast a total of 160 new homes for local residents and is the biggest Riviera has managed to date.

Riviera Housing Trust is set to become a member of leading UK housing provider Sanctuary Group, a process which is expected to be complete by April 2009.