A TRADITIONAL sod-cutting ceremony has taken place to mark the launch of a flagship housing scheme which will see much-needed affordable homes built in Coniston.

Land on the site of the now defunct St Andrew's Youth Centre in Church Lane, Coniston, is being used to build 10 new houses, including a three-bedroom family home, six two-bedroom houses and three one-bedroom homes.

The centre used to be run by the Diocese of Carlisle but, after falling into disrepair, the site was sold to Mitre Housing Association who are fronting the £1.7m project.

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The bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Reverend James Newcome, was given the honour of starting construction and he believes the housing will provide a massive boost to the village.

He said: "This project has been in the planning stage for quite a while and even before the land was acquired we hoped that homes such as these would be on it.

"This project is for the use of the community and we are confident that it will help people who work locally to have affordable housing and there is a huge need for that in the Lake District."

Although details of how much it will cost to rent each property have not yet been released, it is thought that they will be finished by the end of the year.

Once completed, Mitre Housing Association will allow people to apply for the homes with local people in desperate need of housing more likely to be accepted on to the scheme.

Anne Hall, Cumbria County Councillor for Coniston and Crake Valley, has been working hard to encourage more residents to stay in the Lake District and to make sure that communities don't "die."

She has thrown her weight behind this initiative and believes it will help those on lower incomes.

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Mrs Hall said: "I have had six people within the last fortnight knock on my door saying they have got a housing need. We are losing houses because people are coming in and paying extortionate amounts for them.

"We need to keep fighting. I am passionate about lakeland communities and we need to keep numbers up to keep services going."

Mrs Hall is also keen to see the percentages of houses occupied as second homes kept at a maximum of 55 per cent.

She added: "We have lost homes to the holiday market.

"I accept that we do need holiday homes because they keep businesses going but the trouble is that holiday lets used to be owned by local people so the money went back into the local economy whereas now that is not the case."