NEW council homes are ready for families to move into as part of an £11m scheme to provide affordable housing.

The homes at Conwy Close, Tilehurst, have been handed over to Reading Borough Council (RBC) and will soon be on the housing register.

Construction on the 57-home development started in October 2017 and there is a mixture of one, two, three and four-bedroom houses.

Councillor John Ennis, lead member for Housing, said: “There is a real shortage of affordable family homes in Reading so it gives me great pleasure to see the council take possession of these wonderful new four-bedroom houses.

“I am really pleased to see some of the flats in Conwy Close occupied already and I cannot wait for families to move into these modern new houses.

“I am delighted to see this new council housing development progressing so well and am looking forward to the scheme being completed this summer, and to other schemes starting on site later this year.”

The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2019, with works being carried out by housebuilding firm Hill.

Conwy Close is one of a number of initiatives the council has put in place to tackle the town’s housing crisis.

A number of temporary homes came into use in January for households who would otherwise be placed in bed and breakfast accommodation.

The authority has also agreed to invest almost £20m in the construction of up to 100 new affordable homes in its next house building programme.

Ryan Harris, regional director at Hill, added: “We were delighted to join RBC in celebrating the handover of the new houses at Conwy Close and we look forward to welcoming the new residents in to their new homes.

“The scheme is due to be completed in the summer and we are pleased that the development is helping to play a role in providing local families with high-quality affordable homes.”