The development, known as Deanfields, includes 16 Cottsway properties - 1-bed maisonettes and 2 and 3-bed houses – with 11 for affordable rent and 5 for shared ownership. Street names have been allocated to reflect the site’s history.

Colin Bloodworth, our Assistant Director of Development and Assets, said: “Before any housing development work started on this site, an archaeological survey was carried out and this proved to be fascinating as it showed that there had been settlement activity there dating back to Neolithic times. However, it was around 800BC, during the Iron Age, that people really started leaving their mark so it’s gone full circle that this land is now providing homes for people once again, and we are delighted to be providing 16 properties for affordable rent and low-cost home ownership.

“This is the fourth time we’ve worked with Deanfield Homes and we’re pleased to have taken handover of these new homes. The site lies within easy reach of both Witney and Oxford and provides more much-needed affordable housing for the area.”

Cottsway is the largest housing association in West Oxfordshire and the new homes at Deanfields are part of a larger development of 40 homes built by Deanfield Homes.

Andrew Harvey for Deanfield Homes (pictured above left with Deanfield Homes Senior Site Manager Tom Baxter and Cottsway Development Officer Becky Storey) said: “It’s been fantastic to work with Cottsway on this new scheme and we are very proud to have built these homes sympathetic to the local area. During the development process, we’ve discovered a number of fascinating historical finds, and the site featured in the BBC’s ‘Digging for Britain’ programme at the start of this year.

“We’re thrilled that we’ve been able to reflect some of the rich historical background in the street names on the new development, which include Saxon Place, Roman Crescent and Granary Way.”

Archaeological finds included unearthing an extraordinary number of Iron Age grain storage pits, evidence of at least 14 Anglo-Saxon houses and Roman pottery, burials and relics, some of which are now kept at nearby Eynsham Museum.

All of the Cottsway homes have now been allocated. Teaching assistant Margarita Serrano Blanco has moved into one of the Cottsway homes with her two daughters, aged 18 and 5. Margarita and her daughters were facing homelessness after being served a Section 21 notice as their private landlord wanted to sell the property. They moved into the home at Deanfields earlier this week and are looking forward to settling in.

For more information about applying for one of our homes see: Find a property