A DESPERATE couple took a £1 million gamble in a last-ditch attempt to get on the property ladder.

Ben and Tracy McCallum were so upset they could not afford a deposit that they decided to build their own development of affordable homes.

They pestered family and friends into investing £250,000 in their dream and secured £800,000 from a Dragon’s Den-style lender.

Now, three years later, they are just three weeks away from completing their development of nine properties in Milford Road, Lymington.

The one and two-bedroom flats are worth an average of £150,000 and five have already been sold off-plan.

The couple hope their dream of owning their own home will become a reality when they sell all nine and make a profit.

Mr McCallum, 31, who is a service adviser at Balmer Lawn Honda in Brockenhurst, said he has managed the complicated project in lunch hours, his spare time and evenings.

And he told how they nearly lost everything when the first lender pulled out of the deal and demanded the repayment of £360,000.

“We were up the creek without a paddle,” said Mr McCallum, who added that they were close to folding before eventually securing more funding.

They also had another hurdle to overcome – the site itself was contaminated and needed extra cleaning because it is next to an old garage.

The properties have been built by High Castle from Bracknell, who specialise in building environmentally-friendly developments.

“Most houses are between 60 and 70 per cent efficient but these are between 77 and 78 per cent efficient,” said Mr McCallum. “They require just two radiators to heat the whole flat so the bills will be cheap.”

The couple, who have two children aged three and four, have been living with Tracy’s parents in Barton-on-Sea throughout the project.