Cross Keys Homes: George Matthews Gardens, Eye, Peterborough

“It’s only 500 metres to the village, shops and a post office so older people can walk there.”

Janet Askew

Number of homes: 13 (all affordable)
Cost: £1.61 million

New chalet bungalows and a community hall stand on the site of a former sheltered housing scheme that had become unfit for purpose. Let on affordable rents to over-55s, the self-contained homes are set in short terraces around a central courtyard, allowing residents to keep an eye out for each other. The external design uses traditional materials to reflect the local character, while the internal layout allows for a wheelchair-accessible bedroom and bathrooms at ground-floor level so residents with physical disabilities do not need to use the staircase to the first floor. The Homes and Communities Agency allocated £177,190 grant to the scheme.