Residents, staff and guests gather to celebrate the first tenants moving into a new affordable housing development in Wokingham
Delighted tenants have started to move into the new Phoenix Avenue development where the first 22 homes were handed over to the new landlord, Berry Brook Homes, on 24 May. The Worshipful the Mayor of Wokingham Borough Cllr Rob Stanton was present to welcome the first residents receiving the keys to their new homes, including Emma Jones and baby Sophie.
Emma said, “I cried with joy when I saw our new home. It’s beautiful. My partner Sam and I had been living in a converted garage before, so to be living in a brand new house is wonderful.”
The £13m scheme of 68 affordable homes for rent, in the heart of Wokingham’s Norreys community has replaced the former dilapidated Eustace Crescent blocks of flats.
Tenants will be moving into the new homes which are a mix of one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroomed houses in a phased programme over the next few months. The development is one of the first of its kind, commissioned by Wokingham Borough Council and built by Council-owned housing developer Wokingham Housing on behalf of Berry Brook Homes, also a Council-owned company that manages affordable housing.
Bill Flood, Managing Director of Wokingham Housing said, “You cannot beat the genuine appreciation that people have when signing up and being given the keys to their new home. The difference these homes will make to the lives of the new residents is what all the effort to get to here is all about.”
