PILL residents struggling to get on the property ladder could soon be given a helping hand with the creation of new affordable housing in the village.

A planning application has been submitted to North Somerset Council by Knightstone Housing Association for the creation of 14 homes on a site at 1 Station Road.

The development at The Old Vicarage will be made up of eight two-bed apartments, two two-bed houses and four three-bed houses.

At the rear of the site there will be one-and-a-half-storey houses and looking on to Station Road will be a two-and-a-half to three-storey apartment building.

All of the dwellings will be classed as affordable housing, with all of the apartments to be limited to people aged over 50. All of the apartments and two of the three-bed houses will be rented. The remaining houses will be sold on a shared ownership basis.

The plans include 20 parking spaces, eight cycle spaces as well as a storage area for bins and buggies.

The current two-storey house at the site will be demolished to make way for the development.

The site will be landscaped and the developers aim to improve the entrance with planting and a lower stone wall for good visibility.

In December, Knightstone Housing held a consultation exhibition in Pill allowing people to view and comment on the plans for the Station Road site.

It a statement to North Somerset Council, the association said the plans were generally welcomed with some changes being made to take into account the public comments.

The proposals have also been supported by Pill and Easton-in-Gordano Parish Council.

Caroline Hughes, regional development manager for Knightstone Housing, said: “We’re committed to the provision of affordable housing in the North Somerset area.

“Our development in Pill makes a positive contribution to address the lack of affordable housing, which was raised at a public consultation in December 2010. The homes are due for completion in autumn 2012.”