MORE affordable housing is being built at the Kings Barton development in Winchester.

CALA Homes is building 2,000 houses on land formerly known as Barton Farm.

More than 350 have been completed and now eight affordable homes are being built by Persona Homes with completion due in the spring.

In total of the 2,000 homes, 40 per cent or some 800 will be for people on the city council waiting list.

The mix of two and three-bedroom houses by Persona Homes each come with two parking spaces and a private garden. Priced from £97,500 for a 25 per cent share, buyers could purchase their new home with a deposit of less than £5,000.

Anne Bellicoso, sales manager at Persona, said: “We’re really pleased to be announcing these new houses that will make it easier for first time buyers, and those who don’t own a home, to get onto the property ladder.

“Affordable housing options are increasingly needed in Winchester as, only last month, the city was announced as the least affordable place to buy in the UK.

“With homes in the area costing 14 times the UK average earnings, shared ownership means we can help a new generation who thought becoming homeowners was a distant dream.”

Shared ownership offers an alternative to home ownership as buyers can purchase the portion of the house that they can afford now and the rest over time.

To qualify, buyers must not currently own a home or be unable to buy one outright; they will need at least a 5 per cent deposit for the percentage of the home to buy and have a household income of less than £80,000.

The two-bedroom Cyrus at Kings Barton has a market price of £390,000 and comes with flooring throughout, as well as a fitted kitchen with Indesit integrated appliances.

Bought through shared ownership, a 25 per cent share can be secured with a deposit of £4,875 - with a reduced rent and service charge paid on the remaining percentage.

Persona Homes by Home Group launched in 2018 and all profits are reinvested to build more social and affordable homes across England and Scotland.

The new homes at Kings Barton are expected to be ready for spring 2022 but buyers can register interest now.

The next meeting of the Kings Barton Forum, a meeting of city councillors, residents and estate representatives and CALA are due to meet on Tuesday at 6pm.