Builders work with council over homes

Selby District Council has joined forces with Jephson Homes Housing Association and the York-based developer, Persimmon, to provide homes for shared ownership in the town. The development includes six two and three-bedroom houses for rent and two three-bedroom homes at Spruce Way in Staynor Hall in Selby.

The council’s lead member for partnerships, Councillor Gillian Ivey, saw the homes before they were handed over for letting, and said: “This is a very good development for the area and shows how we can work with our partners to increase the number of affordable homes available in the district.

“And it’s great to see families directly benefiting from this work as they move into these homes.”

The Yorkshire Post revealed in 2011 that researchers from the international property firm, Savills, had carried out a detailed look at which areas of England and Wales had managed to survive the falling prices which have blighted the market since the credit crunch.

The Selby area was named as the 20th most desirable location to live in the Unsung Property Heroes study, with the amount of homes being bought and sold remaining at 59 per cent of the 2007 peak – compared to a national average of 54 per cent.

Property experts admitted that the North Yorkshire district was a surprise inclusion, but its excellent transport links and a major programme of investment in the centre of Selby itself have helped boost its reputation.

Staynor Hall is a development of 467 homes close to Selby Abbey and with access to its main transport routes.

Figures from the National Housing Federation have revealed that the average price of a property in the Selby district is £182,511, compared to a regional average of £155,303.