Families struggling to afford a safe and secure place to call
home are set to benefit from another multi-million-pound
investment from , Mayor of the West
Midlands.
The construction of 207 new homes on the derelict site of the
former Phoenix School in Telford is being backed by the Mayor as
part of his Homes for Everyone' campaign, which aims to kickstart
the biggest social housing programme the region has seen in
decades.
More than 40% of the new homes at Phoenix 86 in total will be for
social rent the most affordable type of housing.
The £2m investment comes as the region faces an acute shortage of
affordable homes after decades of underinvestment in social
housing.
The crisis has left 7,148 households, including 15,067 children,
living in temporary accommodation across the West Midlands. A
further 60,000 people are on social housing waiting lists with
their local council.
The regeneration of the 18-acre site is the third housing
investment the Mayor has made in Telford since he took office in
May 2024. The two previous investments were into the Station
Quarter and Stirchley House schemes
In total, around £10.5m of Mayoral funds have been invested into
the borough to unlock more than 600 new homes over 270 of which
are social and affordable homes including a significant number of
extra care apartments for more elderly people.
The Mayor said: My priority since taking office has been to
turbocharge the construction of more social rent housing because
too many people are waiting too long for a safe, secure place to
call home and it's blighting their lives.
This investment in Telford will change lives for the better,
especially for those stuck in temporary accommodation or
poor-quality private rentals.
And it means another derelict brownfield site is being
transformed into a place where people can live, raise families,
and feel proud of their neighbourhood again.
The Mayor's investment is being used by developer Lovell
Partnerships to help with site preparation costs.
Once completed, 71 of the homes will be sold by Lovell on the
open market, 50 will be sold to and made available for private
rent by NuPlace a lettings company owned by Telford and Wrekin
Borough Council and 86 social rent homes will be managed by the
Housing Plus Group.
Cllr Lee Carter, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said:
Providing high-quality, affordable homes is a key part of our
ambition to create strong, sustainable communities across Telford
and Wrekin.
This investment from the West Midlands Combined Authority
represents a continued vote of confidence in the Borough's
ability to deliver and will support the development of an
important new housing development in Dawley. By providing a range
of homes, including accessible and adaptable housing, to meet
different needs, the scheme will help more people access quality
housing while supporting the continued growth and regeneration of
the area.
Chantel Cresswell, head of partnerships for Lovell in the West
Midlands, said: Through our long-standing relationship with the
West Midlands Combined Authority and Telford and Wrekin Council,
we've proven that public and private sector partnerships are key
to unlocking high-quality housing. The derelict Phoenix school
site is a key example of where we are collaborating to create not
just homes but a community, through regenerating strategic
brownfield land. We're looking forward to bringing the site to
fruition.
Access to the WMCA funding was provided by the Property Team at
Frontier Development Capital Ltd (FDC) which works closely with
property developers to arrange investments from the WMCA's
regeneration funds.
Kieren Turner-Owen, investment director at FDC added: It's great
to be working alongside Lovell once again, assisting them in the
regeneration of another brownfield site, creating much needed
housing.
