A TEESDALE village is to pilot a project aimed at keeping house prices affordable for people in rural areas.

A proposed development of nine houses in Mickleton will contain two homes that will be subject to an equity purchase scheme.

It is the first time such a scheme will have been tried in the North-East and developers Three Rivers Housing say that, if successful, it will be used in other areas across the region.

Unlike a shared ownership scheme, where buyers pay a mixture of rent and mortgage, at the Mickleton development buyers would take out a full mortgage.

However, they would only own 80 per cent of the property, with Three Rivers owning the remainder.

The firm would then be able to restrict who the property is sold to.

Jonathan Gibson, the senior development manager for Three Rivers Housing, said the property could not be bought as holiday homes.

He said: "Suitable people might be first-time buyers, people within the village or people with family links who want to move back to the village.

"Hopefully, when they come to sell, by selling that 80 per cent it will be sufficient for them to get on the property ladder."

The development would be at the western end of the village and consultation was held in the village hall this week, so residents could give their views. Although there were a number of people who had objections to the development, Mr Gibson said there were also a significant number who were interested in it.

He said: "We think it's the first time this has been tried in the North-East and certainly the first time in Teesdale.

"If it's successful we hope to roll it out elsewhere.

"The name of the game is we want to provide affordable homes."

The nine two and three- bedroom houses would be built outside Mickleton's development limits.

But because they are being built as social housing there are exceptions made in the Teesdale Local Plan.

Teesdale planning officer Pat Graham said: "It is outside the settlement, but in order to keep land values down for registered social landlords, we do have an exceptions policy whereby buildings on the edge of settlements, which would normally be refused could be passed for social housing.