A major affordable housing development has started to welcome its first tenants.

Work on the 90-home Lavender Meadow project at the former Wymondham Rugby Club site in Tuttles Lane East is expected to be completed by the end of spring 2024.

It will consist of 61 social rented and 29 shared ownership properties - all a mixture of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes and bungalows.

Families moved into the first three properties on June 8, with the keys of another 10 being handed over one June 13.

Norwich Evening News: Wymondham is one of the fastest growing areas on the outskirts of NorwichWymondham is one of the fastest growing areas on the outskirts of Norwich (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Saffron Housing Trust is working with Lovell Partnerships to deliver all six phases of the project.

"We are delighted that by working in partnership with Lovells we can provide much needed, new, high quality affordable housing for the people of Wymondham," said James Francis, chief executive at Saffron.

Mark Gosling, construction manager of the company, added: "The development at Lavender Meadow is progressing well and on target and we are proud to be delivering more affordable homes for our community.

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"Our teams are working hard to complete the rest of the development and deliver more, energy-efficient, new homes."

Wymondham has seen a rapid expansion in recent years.

In the 10 years from 2001 to 2011, the market town's population grew by 15pc from 12,539 to 14,405 - and by 2020 the numbers living there were estimated at almost 17,000.

But despite locals warning of a lack of suitable infrastructure needed to cope with such a boom, hundreds more homes are planned for the area.

Speaking on the latest development in Lavender Meadow, Simon Medler, regional manager at Lovell, said: "Located in the pretty market town of Wymondham, these homes benefit from a sought-after location and are built with quality in mind.

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"It is fantastic to see residents starting to move into them and enjoy everything they have to offer."

All homes on the new site in Wymondham will be fitted with Air Source Heat Pumps which will provide enough heat and hot water for the homes whilst also lowering carbon emissions.

Wymondham and the GNLP

Wymondham falls under the Greater Norwich Local Plan (GNLP).

The GNLP is a blueprint for where 50,000 new homes could be built in Norwich, South Norfolk and Broadland by 2038.

Wymondham was allocated a total of 150 additional homes across two sites by 2038.

However, much of the major housing commitment and employment expansion has been set out in the town's own Area Action Plan which, when joined to the GNLP, features an allocation of around 2,600 homes.