It was smiles all round at North Town in Aldershot last week, as the keys to 64 brand new homes were handed to their very excited owners.

These homes are the latest to be handed over to customers as part of our substantial regeneration of the North Town estate. 471 old flats are being demolished to make way for around 700 new homes which are being delivered over six phases.

The bright and modern homes were offered for rent and sale, with 26 shared owners picking up the keys to their new homes. The shared ownership scheme gives people the opportunity to get onto the property ladder with a much smaller deposit than traditionally required.

Shannan Carpenter and Will Miller are two of the happy new homeowners and first-time buyers. They’ve been living with Shannan’s parents whilst they saved up their deposit and now that they have the keys to their new home, they’re looking forward to the independence and freedom it will bring.

Shannan said: “We’re very, very happy. Really, really happy! It doesn’t feel real yet! I know it will tonight though when we shut the front door and it’s just us. Once we made our offer in January it all moved so quickly!

“We couldn’t afford a full mortgage and looked at other options; shared ownership worked best for us and we’re planning to buy more shares so we own 100%.”

The homes are being offered over a range of tenures to suit a wide range of needs, including affordable rent, shared ownership and outright sale. 

The homes are being built with modern living in mind; they’re spacious, with plenty of storage and energy efficient features, such as water butts and solar panels, that can help lower energy bills.

We've worked closely with the community and Rushmoor Borough Council since the regeneration began in 2009, organising a large-scale consultation and ongoing engagement to include customer views. 

Liz Benson, Head of Sales & Partnerships at VIVID said: “We’re so pleased to see the first shared ownership customers move into their new homes. The National Housing Federation recently published its annual Home Truths reports that look at the housing market in England. In the South East, between 2012-16, there was a shortfall of 85,000 homes in the region; this lack of supply drives up house prices and rental costs, making them increasingly unaffordable.

“In Rushmoor there was a shortfall of 436 homes and our North Town development is providing much needed homes, where people want to live, with affordable options.”

The project’s being delivered by our construction arm, VIVID Build, with some funding from Homes England. Pre-construction works are already well underway for the next phase.

All of the shared ownership homes have been reserved. If you’re interested in the private sale homes, please visit sales@vividhomes.co.uk.