LORD Carrington braved the rain last Monday to mark the start of work on a new affordable housing project in Bledlow.

The scheme, organised by the Rural Housing Trust, will see five new dwellings built in West Lane for local people who have been priced out of the area.

Two houses on the acre-wide site will be available via shared occupancy, and three will be available for rent.

Lord Carrington, who donated the land for the project, dug the first shovels of earth at the ceremony, also attended by newly re-elected Aylesbury MP David Lidington.

Martin Collett, from the Rural Housing Trust, said: "They will be houses for local people with an interest in Bledlow or a family history. Ideally they will be used for people who can't afford to live in the area anymore but still have ties to the village."

Work on the site will commence in the next couple of weeks and Mr Collett hopes the dwellings will be ready to move into early next year.

The Rural Housing Trust is a registered charity that specialises in building homes for people who come from the area. None of their houses can ever be sold on the open market.

Mr Collett also revealed the Rural Housing Trust is in talks with other parish councils in south Bucks over plans to build homes.

He said: "We had representatives from other councils come along to see what is happening in West Lane and to discuss proposals to build within their own parishes. South Bucks is a very accessible and very beautiful area so this is a major issue."