Development Update

• 15th June 2021

Corporate news

This Spring we launched our new Development Strategy, which sets out in detail how we will invest around £400m in building approximately 2,200 mixed-tenure, multigenerational homes across the Midlands by March 2024.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic this ambitious development programme has continued apace, and we are currently working on 15 sites, with 673 homes in construction in nine local authorities across the Midlands.

In Walsall, house building has now commenced on the site of former steelworks Caparo, which will transform the land into a new 252-home community. Lockside is the first development for joint venture (JV) developer Anthem Lovell LLP, a partnership between leading developer, Lovell, and our subsidiary Anthem Homes. The project is expected to take five years to complete, with the first homes predicted to be ready in October 2021.

We’re making great progress on our development sites in Cannock. We are looking forward to the first handovers at Walsall Rd, Norton Canes, where we are working with Vistry to deliver 67 homes for affordable rent and shared ownership. A further 67 homes for social rent and shared ownership are currently being built through Barratts David Wilson Homes (BDW) at Pye Green. Also in Staffordshire, good progress is being made by Keon towards 20 new homes for whg in Streethay, Lichfield.

In Wolverhampton, we are working alongside Jessup to transform a key gateway into the city. Planning permission has recently been granted to redevelop the iconic former Royal Hospital into a wellbeing scheme for the over 55s, with an additional 123 homes built on land to the rear, bringing the total number of new homes to 192. The site will be complemented by the redevelopment of the former bus depot site at Cleveland Road in front of the hospital. The 92 homes, a mix of affordable rent and shared ownership, are nearing completion and we’re anticipating handovers to start this Summer.

Further afield, in Worcester, we have acquired a mixture of shared ownership and social rent properties on the Newtown Road development constructed by Elan Homes. The site had proven to be very popular and all 24 homes of our homes are now let.

In Warwickshire, we are delighted to be approaching the final handover at Harbury Lane, on the outskirts of Royal Leamington Spa. This new development by Taylor Wimpey includes 77 whg homes for shared ownership and affordable/social rent.

Meanwhile in Shropshire, final handovers are imminent at Snedshill in Telford where we are building 39 homes in partnership with Lovell.

We’re delighted to be working with so many partners to create new and vibrant communities across the Midlands and look forward to what promises to be a very exciting year for our Development team!