Plans for a development of affordable homes have been submitted for Uppingham.

The Uppingham Homes Community Land Trust seek to build four 1-bed and two 2-bed apartments for the under 35s in a bid to get them on the housing ladder.

GSSArchitecture has submitted the planning application to Rutland County Council for their client, who seek to bring affordable housing to Uppingham.

GSSArchitecture is working closely with Uppingham First, a local Community Partnership dedicated to promoting the town and improving the lives of its residents.

They were able to help set up the CLT thanks to support received from a Homes England grant.

A further government grant, received in February 2020, is supporting the CLT's bid to become a registered housing provider, allowing them to manage the homes for sale and rent once complete, thus keeping control of the housing in the hands of the community.

Built upon a disused orchard in the town, donated to the trust by the Badley Family, the site on Seaton Road is intended to provide affordable homes for young people from Uppingham, helping to ensure the long-term sustainability of the town for its residents.

The site's edge of town location has raised some planning concerns, however, the design team have worked hard to ensure that this challenging site is a viable proposal for building homes, which sits within the wider context of the surrounding dispersed farmhouses.

One feature of the proposal is a communal orchard garden, providing space for the residents to create their own vegetable garden and socialising space.

Ron Simpson BEM, a Director and Company Secretary of Uppingham First and a Board Member at Uppingham Homes Community Land Trust, said: "The trust is very pleased with the progress made on this project by GSS.

"We have been working with CPRE Rutland to complete a new local housing needs survey, which was distributed to every household in Uppingham.

"The results of which formed the final piece of information needed for the planning application on the Badley Orchard site. We are delighted that the GSS designs have now been submitted for planning approval and the project can continue moving forward."

Tom Jagger, Lead Architect on the project, said: "It has been a pleasure to work with Uppingham Homes CLT, their vision to help younger generations continue to live in the town is inspirational.

"GSS have recently been working on a number of similar schemes, including affordable housing schemes in Gloucestershire and Buckinghamshire, in addition to schemes that utilise Modern Methods of Construction in order to allow for savings in time, money and resources.

"This experience has been invaluable in the work we have done for Uppingham Homes CLT so far, and we look forward to continuing to build upon our knowledge as the project progresses."

To learn more about what GSS Architecture have been up to recently, including their extensive experience in the delivery of projects in the residential sector, go to www.gssarchitecture.com