MP Victoria Prentis has praised the ongoing construction of dozens of high quality affordable homes at Graven Hill in Oxfordshire, home to the UK’s largest self-build community.

MP Victoria Prentis with Cllr Barry Wood, Graven Hill’s sales and marketing director, Elaine Walder and Philippa Jones, chief executive at Bromford.

The Member of Parliament for North Oxfordshire took a tour of the innovative Bicester development on Friday 18th May where she met Cllr Barry Wood, leader of Cherwell District Council, and Graven Hill’s sales and marketing director, Elaine Walder. She was also greeted by Philippa Jones, chief executive at Bromford, which is taking ownership of the affordable homes.

Graven Hill has consent for up to 1,900 properties in total with Bromford taking ownership of 59 two, three and four bedroom homes when work finishes on the first phase of the affordable aspect of the site. These will comprise of 27 for affordable rent and 32 for shared ownership with the first residents expected to move in by the end of the summer.

The Conservative MP, who has also built her own home, said: “I always love coming to Graven Hill as one of the most exciting development sites anywhere in the country. The affordable housing I’ve seen today is really impressive, very well constructed, and it is great to see the close cross-team working going on between Graven Hill and Bromford. I hope these gorgeous homes can be marketed well so they appeal to young working people and families in the local area.”

People at Graven Hill site

People at the Graven Hill site

Bromford chief executive, Philippa, commented: “Bromford’s core purpose is to inspire people to be their best and Graven Hill fits perfectly with our philosophy by combining eco, low carbon homes with commercial investment to form this new transformational garden village. We are delighted to have the support of the local MP as we work with our customers to build and rebuild their lives as well as offering them the chance to get onto the property ladder.”

Elaine, sales and marketing director of Graven Hill Village Development Company, added: “We are pleased to welcome Victoria Prentis to see our partnership with Bromford first-hand and the quality, energy efficient, affordable housing we have constructed. Graven Hill is a village for all, be they aspiring self-builders or first-time buyers getting onto the property market through shared ownership. As we begin to see the first residents make the site their home, we look forward to the Graven Hill community growing and delivering further community infrastructure.”

People at Graven Hill site

Graven Hill, on the site of a former Ministry of Defence (MOD) base, will eventually form a new village stretching across 462 acres – an area the size of 300 football fields. It is being delivered in phases over a 10 year period and includes an extra care scheme, primary school with nursery unit, a village green, sports pitches, eight play areas, business premises and a local retail centre with a pub, café, shops, and community centre.

The self-build concept is providing a number of options for people to buy into – from serviced plots enabling future residents to design the home of their dreams to a Tailored Finish house which offers a brand new home, with an unprecedented level of choice, without having to build it themselves. The homes of the earliest self-builders are already taking shape with superstructures appearing across the site and lorries full of timber frames arriving daily.