A NEW £2.6 million affordable housing scheme in South Lakeland has allowed a young couple to stay in the village that has been home to many previous generations of their families.

Teacher Emily Cannon, 23, and her partner Chris Raven, 24, a farmer, have lived in Staveley all their lives, as have their parents and grandparents.

Faced with spiralling private rental costs, the couple feared they may have to move away from the village to be able to afford a home with the extra space that they needed.

Emily, who works as a teacher in Flookburgh, said: “We were renting privately but were desperate for a place we could settle down in with a little extra space.

“We thought we would have to move away from our families because there was nowhere in the village that we could afford to rent privately.”

The couple’s new two-bedroomed house is one of 18 new affordable homes built by Two Castles, working with local developer Russell Armer Homes.

All homes in the development have been let to people in housing need with a connection to the village or its surrounding area.

Councillor Heidi Halliday, South Lakeland District Council’s portfolio holder for Housing and Strategic Growth, said: “We need to retain young people in South Lakeland and to achieve that we have to help create somewhere they can afford to live.

“That is why we are working with partners including housing associations such as Two Castles and private housing developers to ensure more local people get the chance to continue to live and work here.”