A HOUSEBUILDER has handed the keys for six new apartments to Swindon Borough Council.

Persimmon Homes built a mix of one and two-bed apartments in Badbury Park near Coate which will now be transferred to the local authority to help house Swindonians.

Council leader David Renard visited the site with Coun Jenny Jefferies and Coun Lawrence Elliot for the official handover ceremony.

During the developer’s time at Badbury Park, the Wessex business has overseen 566 new homes being occupied and contributed more than £1.3million in funding for the delivery of local education, infrastructure improvements and public open space.

A new community centre and local convenience store have been constructed at the development and will be opening in the near future.

Coun Renard said: “Swindon Borough Council is delighted to receive these six excellent apartments from Persimmon Homes.

“There is an increasing demand for social housing in Swindon and we are committed to helping meet that need. “We’re grateful to Persimmon for working in partnership with us to deliver these new homes at the heart of this great development, which will be let to local people.”

Coun Jefferies and Coun Elliott welcomed the new community assets.

They said: “The new apartments are of a high-quality and will make for great new homes for local people.

“The Badbury Park development is enjoyed by the local community, and we’re delighted to see Persimmon not only delivering new housing in the area, but also investing in significant new community facilities.

“We now look forward to the opening of the development’s new community centre and convenience store, which will be most welcome by local residents.”

Coun Cathy Martyn is the borough council’s Cabinet member for Health Inequalities and Housing.

She added: “As a council, we are always looking to update and refresh our housing stock when we can so we provide the very best homes for those residents who need them.

“These six homes from Persimmon are a welcome addition to our portfolio and I look forward to seeing the properties occupied by our tenants in the near future.”

Persimmon at Badbury Park is located in Commonhead, on the northern edge of the Coate Water Country Park, with a wide range of homes including one-bed apartments, two-bed coach houses, and three beds.

The convenience store that has been provided on-site is set to be occupied by the Co-op. Persimmon Wessex’s managing director Julian Roper said: “It was a pleasure to host Swindon Borough councillors for an official handover ceremony of community assets at Badbury Park.

“We’ve been determined to leave a positive legacy in the area, not just with the provision of new homes and jobs, but also through the delivery of new facilities and social housing for the benefit of the local community.

“As a responsible local business, we recognise the importance of working with key stakeholders such as Swindon Borough Council in these vital areas to ensure we deliver a positive and lasting contribution to local communities.

“Persimmon is proud to have developed a thriving community at Badbury Park, which should leave a legacy that delivers significant economic, social and environmental value.”

Along with Persimmon, part of Badbury Park is also being developed by Redrow Thames Valley, which has built two, three, and four-bedroom houses near Junction 15 of the M4.