MORE than 20 affordable homes are set to be build in Alcester's surrounding villages this year.

Warwickshire Rural Housing Association (WRHA) is set to develop the properties in Broom, Wootton Wawen and Great Alne.

The properties are being built to enable local people to stay in the villages in which they have been brought up.

In Broom, work on five affordable rent and one for shared ownership, will start in February.

The project is a partnership between WRHA and developer Linfoot Country Homes and has been made possible through funding from Stratford District Council and the Homes & Communities Agency.

In Wootton Wawen, plans are now gathering pace for WRHA’s ground-breaking Passivhaus scheme, the first of its kind in Warwickshire.

Work on the 14 homes, which boast about 70 per cent energy efficiency, should start on site in the spring.

A total of 12 properties for affordable rent and two for shared ownership are being designed and built to be as eco friendly as possible.

Initially in April 2016 the development was refused planning permission by Stratford District Council on several grounds including its green belt location.

The proposals were later approved in May on the grounds that it would provide a social benefit in the form of affordable housing and the environmentally friendly nature of the development.

Work is also expected to begin on a development of seven properties for affordable rent in Great Alne promptly, subject to planning approval next month.

Company secretary Craig Felts said: "These new developments will contribute to the future sustainability of Warwickshire’s small rural communities where affordable housing is in great demand and people are being forced to move away due to a lack of affordable properties."

WRHA, which manages more than 500 home in 43 rural places, provides affordable homes in rural Warwickshire for local people who would not otherwise be able to afford to live within their own communities.