Northumberland County Council is set to invest £1.3 million to build four new affordable homes in the coastal village of Embleton. Leading councillors say the move will address a chronic shortage of affordable housing in rural areas.

The village sits on a prime position on the Northumberland coast, and is just a stones throw away from the iconic Dunstanburgh Castle. Embleton’s average house prices are above the county’s average.

Planning permission for the scheme was secured last year. The council will build two two-bedroom homes and two two-bedroom bungalows on the village’s Greyfield Estate.

While the cost for four houses seems high, members of the council’s cabinet insisted it was the right move. Speaking at a meeting on Tuesday, portfolio holder for housing Coun Colin Horncastle explained the rationale for the decision.

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted to present this to the cabinet. This is affordable housing in rural areas – it doesn’t get much better than that.

“These will be high standard, energy efficient homes. It does seem quite expensive, but you have got to remember that building in these areas is difficult.

“You haven’t got large developments where we can ask for affordable homes, so they’re out on their own. We have a third of the money coming from developer contributions in the form of Section 106 money.

“It’s not very often we get these schemes, but I thoroughly support this scheme. There’s a massive demand for it.

“What it does is it keeps people in these areas, in their communities, rather than having to more to larger towns. There were only eight properties advertised by Homefinder between 2022 and 2026, and each received an average of 53 bids.

“There really is a need in this very charming village. We intend to bid for more money to extend the affordable housing in these rural areas.”

A report presented to members of the cabinet explained that there is a need for 30 additional affordable housing units in Embleton by 2036. Based on an affordable weekly rent of £154.29, the scheme is forecast to deliver a
positive return on the council’s investment of £52,000 over a 60-year period.

This value would be lower than the 80% market rent required for rents to be classed as affordable. This would have equated to £176.32 a week, but the council set lower levels to “ensure affordability” for council tenants.