A new development of affordable homes has been officially opened in Churchill.

The 12 homes, at Turnpike Close in the village, have been developed by English Rural Housing in partnership with North Somerset Council and Churchill Parish Council.

Building work on the development has taken a year and was completed last month.

A special ceremony to mark the completion of the project was conducted by Churchill Parish Council chairman, Councillor Jackie Bush and North Somerset Council chairman, Councillor Liz Wells.

The development consists of two two-bedroom flats, four two- bedroom houses, four three-bedroom houses and two one-bedroom flats.

Six of the properties have been sold on a shared ownership basis and the other six will be available at a low-cost rent.

The homes will be owned and managed by English Rural Housing in a way that benefits the local community, ensuring that local people, unable to afford market prices, can still live in the village.

Funding for the project came from the Homes and Communities Agency as part of the Government's National Affordable Housing Programme.

Additional funds have also been provided by North Somerset Council which earmarked the land for the development.

The properties have been designed to achieve maximum energy efficiency and minimum energy use, achieving an Eco-Homes rating of 'very good' by using renewable technologies such as solar photovoltaic panels to generate domestic electricity.

The scheme also complies with 'Secure by Design' standards for household security.

Councillor Bush said: "The new development provided at Turnpike Close will provide some much-needed affordable homes in our community.

"The parish council has become increasingly concerned about the impact that high property values have had on local households, especially young couples and families, who are being forced to leave the village in search of affordable accommodation in urban areas away from their family, friends and community networks.

"Turnpike Close will help to tackle this problem and shows what can be achieved with the support of the parish council."

English Rural Housing works in parishes like Churchill to ensure that rural communities continue to house a mixture of income earners and age groups.

It already owns and manages 67 affordable homes in the North Somerset area and plans to build a further 40 properties in a number of small-scale rural developments over the next 18 months.

English Rural Housing chief executive, Adrian Maunders, said: "The 12 new homes at Churchill demonstrate what can be achieved if local partners work together to tackle the affordable housing crisis affecting our villages.

"They will help local people wanting to live in their local community and are part of a wider programme being delivered by us across the South West".