About Us

Our History

First Step Homes Ltd is a long established property and housing company that was founded in Bristol in the mid 1990’s. Over many years, First Step Homes, and its subsidiaries, has gained a strong reputation for providing award winning urban regeneration schemes, commercial developments (offices, supermarkets, shops) and extensive student accommodation.

First Step Homes (SW) Ltd was formed in November 2005 to specialize in the provision of affordable housing which is sold only to people who are local to the area in which the development is to take place and who are in need of an affordable home.

Business Model

We identify, appraise, acquire and develop ‘rural exceptions sites’ for affordable housing which are only available for sale or rent to local people.

‘Exceptions sites’ are pieces of land which are outside of, but adjacent to, the settlement boundary of villages and therefore cannot normally be considered for development. However, planning permission can be granted on these sites as long as there is an identified affordable housing need, that the housing provided is sold or rented at affordable prices and that the affordability is protected in perpetuity.

Because ‘exceptions sites’ are restricted to affordable housing the ‘market value’ of this land is much lower than for traditional housing developments and this saving is then passed onto our purchasers.

Track Record

Since 2005 FSH(SW) Ltd has completed and sold over 120 houses in Devon and Cornwall and we are currently nearing completion of Jacob’s Meadow in Cheddar, Somerset where we have 77 houses and apartments.

Jacob’s Meadow is the largest development of its kind in the UK and is the result of a highly successful partnership between FSH(SW) Ltd, Sedgemoor District Council, the Parish Council and Guinness Hermitage Housing Association.

We also have a further 44 houses with planning consent in Cornwall with a further 84 houses pending planning approval.

FSH(SW) Ltd has control of further land which has the ability (subject to planning permission) to deliver nearly 1000 additional houses in Devon, Cornwall, Stroud, Somerset and Wiltshire over the next two years and we are actively seeking further opportunities.