People have moved into newly-built council houses in Stevenage as part of a scheme to help address a housing shortage in the town.

The development of 30 houses and apartments, along with two new shops, in Archer Road saw the final phase completed in July and the homes allocated to people on Stevenage Borough Council’s housing register.

The Pin Green development, called Kingpin Square, was part of a neighbourhood regeneration project which involved demolishing a 1960s neighbourhood centre, including a community centre, shops with flats above, and a pub, and replacing it with the new shops and homes, as well as building a new community centre at Hampson Park.

Councillor Jeannette Thomas, the borough council’s executive member for housing, said: “I’m very pleased to be welcoming Stevenage people into their new homes at Kingpin Square.

“This is the first development of new council housing that we’ve been able to complete since the 1980s, but there are more on the way in other parts of the town.

“We’ve made a commitment to provide quality affordable housing for local people and these new homes show that we’re serious about honouring our promise.

“Over the next 30 years we’ll be investing £1 billion in housing in Stevenage, building hundreds of new homes and improving existing council properties so that they remain sustainable, safe and comfortable.”

The first phase of the Archer Road development involved the construction of two new shops, eight apartments and a community centre last year.