The chair of Andreas Commissioners hopes that a new 30-home development in the village will help to encourage people to move there.

Jackie Faragher says the board had concerns initially about drainage and flooding, but believes that the new estate will be ‘wonderful’ for the area.

It has taken a year-and-a-half for the proposals, submitted in December 2022 by Kelproperties, to be approved which will see 31 properties built off Oatlands Road, with eight of them being affordable homes.

Work will now start on the scheme in September this year, with two of the eight affordable homes being three-bedroom properties and the other six having two bedrooms.

There will also be six three-bedroom terrace houses, two three-bedroom semi-detached houses, four three-bedroom semi-detached houses, one three-bed detached house, two three-bedroom detached houses, six three-bed semi-detached houses and two four-bedroom bungalows.

Discussing the plans, Ms Faragher said: ‘We welcome any sort of development in the village, but this is quite a big one. Hopefully we'll get lots of younger people in the village which will fill up the school, help local businesses and take the village forward.

‘Originally it was going to be 17 properties, but now that's gone up to 31. We were concerned about the drainage which is still a bit of a concern, but it's all gone through the planners who have had a look at it and they're happy for it to go forward.

‘We have a small parish school, but there's plenty of room for more children - so that would be a wonderful opportunity.

‘Hopefully now, when they start to build, it will all fall into place. Once the properties are built, the area will be turned into an attractive stretch of road, because at the moment, it does look very unkept.’