AN affordable housing development providing 17 homes for families on low incomes was officially opened in Tavistock last Thursday.
Beadle Court, just off Plymouth Road, consists of four 1-bed flats, nine 2-bed houses and four 3-bed houses.
Two of the houses are specially adapted to meet the needs of disabled tenants.
The site was developed by West Devon Homes at a cost of £1,500,000, which was partly met through match funded grants from West Devon Borough Council and the Housing Corporation.
It is the largest affordable housing development in Tavistock for over 10 years.
The name Beadle Court is a tribute to former town mayor and councillor Norna Beadle, an honoured burgess of Tavistock, who died about a year ago.
Town councillor Ted Sherrell was delighted to see the new estate up and running.
'This is a most welcome and vital addition to the affordable housing stock of Tavistock — and appropriately, it is named after a lady who did so much for the town,' he said.
'It is vital to the future and wellbeing of our community that local people of all ages have the opportunity to remain here, where their roots are, rather than being forced to leave the area because of a grossly over inflated housing market.'
West Devon Homes, which started trading in 1999, is the largest landlord in the district with 1,432 homes in its management.
Town mayor Norma Woodcock and West Devon mayor Peter Hill attended last week's opening, where the new tenants of Beadle Court received their doorkeys.