The first apartments in Somerset Council’s Rainbow Way development in Minehead are heading towards completion and prospective tenants are being invited to enjoy a tour later this month.
A special open event is being held on Tuesday 21 January from 2pm to 5pm, giving local people the chance to see one of the new homes for themselves. Visitors should enter the new development located at the end of Rainbow Way (TA24 5EQ) to access the property. Please park on the public road.
The apartments on show are among 54 homes are being built at the site. They are the first council homes in West Somerset for more than 30 years. The first houses to be completed are already occupied and a further 16 homes are due to be completed next month, including 2 bungalows for those who need accessible homes, and 11 apartments.
The final 22 apartments, both 1 and 2-bedroom, are expected to be completed by Spring this year.
Visitors to the Open event will get the chance to hear at first-hand about progress, the zero carbon technology and find out how to register with Homefinder Somerset for the new properties which are a mix of 33 flats and 21 houses. The majority of the houses have already been let, with the remaining 5 houses being available on Homefinder shortly.
All the apartments are still to be advertised with a total of 17 1-bedroom and 15 2-bedroom homes plus 1, fully accessible 2-bedroom ground floor apartment.
A video walk-through tour of some of the properties is available to watch via the Council’s YouTube channel.
Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, Executive Lead Member for Communities, Housing Revenue Account, Culture and Equalities and Diversity, said:
The feedback we’ve had from tenants who have already moved in are so positive and they are impressed with the high standards achieved.
Our Open event last summer was really popular with people queuing to look around the site. It proves how desperately these homes are needed, not just in West Somerset, but across the county.
These are the first Council homes in the west of the county for many years and it’s exciting that we are seeing such progress towards completion of the project. We believe the quality and low energy specification which we have used will make these wonderful homes for many years.
Priority for the new properties, a mix of 2, 3 and 4-bedroom houses and 1 and 2-bedroom flats, will be given to those living, in or having connections to Minehead, and the adjoining parishes of Minehead Without, Selworthy, Wootton Courtenay, Timberscombe and Dunster. They will be made be available via homefindersomerset.co.uk.
Construction is being carried out by Classic Builders and the homes will aim to meet 2050 zero-carbon standards. Representatives from the firm and Somerset Council will be on hand at the event to answer questions.
Rainbow Way has ambitious energy performance targets, working towards the Low Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) definition of net zero. Low carbon technologies including PV panels, thermal storage with smart controllers and air source heat pumps are being installed leading to lower energy bills for residents.
