TWENTY new apartments have been opened for residents and workers in Basildon.

The leader of Basildon Council has welcomed 20 new apartments built by Sempra Homes, the council’s house building company, which began construction last summer.

Andrew Baggott attended the site in Long Lynderswood, Lee Chapel North, yesterday on Tuesday to see progress on the build.

The new homes at the Space site, which will be known as Maplewood Court, include a development of 20 two-bedroom shared ownership apartments along with car and cycle parking and landscaping.

They will be marketed specifically to local key workers, which include teachers, nurses and police officers on a shared ownership basis.

Mr Baggott said: “It’s fantastic to see these beautiful apartments spring up from what was once a wasted patch of land. Sempra was set up with the aim of building high-quality and affordable homes for our residents.

“We are now seeing this ambition being realised as numerous schemes across the borough progress. It is also fantastic to see these homes being built by Wickford-based company, Indecon Building Ltd.”

Melanie Keys, Manager of Sempra Homes, said: “Our shared ownership homes will provide opportunities to purchase a share in a home where outright purchase is not affordable. Through our shared ownership programme we are working alongside the Government’s Help to Buy scheme, enabling residents to purchase an initial share of their home with an option to buy further shares as they can afford to do so.”

Sempra Homes, set up by Basildon Council as an independent company, aims to deliver properties across the borough to provide a variety of different tenures including affordable rent, shared ownership, market rent and market sale.

Visit www.semprahomes.co.uk.