LYMM Parish Council is considering a unique plan that could offer hope to young people being driven out of the village by the high property prices.

A survey last month showed that average house prices in the picturesque village were nearly £250,000 and with houses rarely on the market for less than £100,000 it has become increasingly difficult for first-time buyers to find a home in Lymm.

In a bid to combat the problem, Mike Coates, an expert in the field of affordable housing, addressed the parish council last week and suggested some solutions.

He told the meeting that although some new developments, such as Oughtrington Lane, were scheduled to have a proportion of affordable homes, the best way of providing truly affordable housing would be for a housing association, such as Warrington Housing Association, to buy property and offer it on a shared ownership basis.

This would mean half ownership, half rent with the opportunity for the ownership element to increase over time - as the income of the resident increases.

Clr Sheila Woodyatt said the issue was of concern to all councillors.

She added: "We are supposed to be getting 50 at Oughtrington Lane but how they are going to be affordable I do not know - it is a start but how much of a start is it?

"I think this would be a very good idea."

Clr Ian Marks also supported the plan and said the lack of young people staying in the village is a big problem.

He added: "Any community needs a mix of the population and at the moment this is not good for the community because we are not getting that mix."

A meeting will now be set up between a group from the parish council and Alan Kemp, chief executive of Warrington Housing Association, to discuss the plan.