THE first of Minehead’s newest council houses have gone on display to the public before being offered to local residents.

Somerset Council and its contractor Classic Builders have been delivering 54 new council properties on Rainbow Way, near the town’s cricket club and Premier Inn.

The homes – the first new council houses in Minehead for a generation – are being built to a high standard with solar panels and air source heat pumps, in order to keep tenants’ energy bills low.

Once completed, the properties will be advertised on the council’s Homefinder service, with priority being given to those either living in the town or having family connections with the local area.

Project officer Alex Williams gave the Local Democracy Reporting Service an exclusive tour of one of the new properties (a two-bedroom, end of terrace house) on Tuesday afternoon (June 18), shortly before a public drop-in event was held for prospective tenants.

She said: “The homes are filled with lovely, bright windows – that’s one of the key design elements of this project.

“The windows are triple-glazed and there’s a really good airtightness in all of these properties.

“There are ventilation ducts which take stale air out of the property and brings nice fresh air back in.”

The Rainbow Way site is divided into nine blocks, with 21 homes being delivered across blocks one to six and a mixture of 33 one- and two-bedroom flats being delivered in blocks seven to nine.

The new homes are being fitted with solar panels and air source heat pumps, are being constructed from porotherm blocks to aid with heat retention, and are being provided with electric vehicle charging points.

By investing up-front in these technologies as part of the £9.5m build, the council will ensure that future tenants face lower energy bills all year round compared to homes built with more conventional construction methods.

Ms Williams said: “The properties, when they’re warm, should stay warm for longer and stay cool when it’s cool.

“The bedroom spaces are both doubles, so they’re very good for families and grown-up children.

“We do ask tenants not to drill into the walls at all, because that could compromise the airtightness.”

The first home is expected to be handed over to tenants in early-July, shortly after the general election results are announced.

Priority for the new properties will be given to those living in or having connections to Minehead and the adjoining parishes of Minehead Without, Selworthy, Wootton Courtenay, Timberscombe and Dunster.

Classic Builders will shortly begin work on the next phases of the North Taunton Woolaway regeneration programme, delivering homes to a very similar specification in the Priorswood area of Somerset’s county town.

Chris Brown, the council’s housing director, said: “We are really excited that the first council homes in the west of the county for many years are nearing completion.

“We believe the quality and low energy specification which we have used will make these wonderful homes for many years.”

To register an interest in the new properties, visit www.homefindersomerset.co.uk.