CONSTRUCTION to build a new housing estate in a small village in Somerset is now under way.

Housebuilder Bellway is building 53 new homes at Lavender Rise, off Houlgate Way, with groundworks having started on site in July.

The development will feature 38 three, four and five-bedroom houses for private sale, in addition to 15 shared ownership homes made up of one-bedroom maisonettes and two, three and four-bedroom houses.

The shared ownership properties are available through heylo’s Home Reach scheme, which means customers can buy a share of up to 75 per cent in their chosen property and then pay rent on the part they don’t own.

Rachel Way, senior saes manager for Bellway South West, said: “We’ve only just launched Lavender Rise, but it’s apparent there is already considerable interest in the new homes here, in particular in the three-bedroom shared ownership properties we are building here.

“Lavender Rise is in a great location. Axbridge is in the heart of the beautiful Somerset countryside on the edge of the Mendip Hills National Landscape and less than 10 miles from the coast, while the town itself is full of character and charm.

“Yet it’s practical too, with Axbridge CofE First School Academy just a short walk away, and Fairlands Middle School and Kings Academy for older students less than three miles away in Cheddar.

“All the facilities for day-to-day life are within easy reach and the development is also well placed for the roads network, with Bristol just 18 miles away via the nearby A38 and junction 22 of the M5 just eight miles from home.

"This makes it especially attractive for commuters who want to come home to somewhere relaxing and beautiful at the end of the working day.”