Work to build a new 324 home canalside community in Walsall is progressing well, with an apartment block for the over 55s now taking shape.
Lockside, on the sites of the former Caparo steelworks and Metafin factory, will bring a range of homes and apartments to the town, including those for outright sale, shared ownership and affordable rent.
It will include a wellbeing scheme, owned and managed by whg, which will offer apartments designed exclusively for older people, with access to extra support should they need it. The apartment block of 50 one- and two-bed homes is scheduled for completion in early 2024.
whg is working with Lovell to transform the brownfield land which has stood empty for several years. Phase 1 of the development, on the old Caparo steelworks, will create 252 new homes through joint venture developer Anthem Lovell LLP, a partnership between Lovell and whg subsidiary Anthem Homes.
At phase 2, on the former Metafin site, whg is working with Lovell to build an additional 72 homes for affordable rent.
Rebecca Bennett Casserly, whg’s Corporate Director of Development, said: “This new and exciting place is breathing life into a previously neglected area of the town, and providing local people with a range of housing options.
“It’s only by working with our partners that we are able to make the most of these large-scale opportunities to shape new places and develop new homes. With the support of West Midlands Combined Authority, Walsall Council and Homes England we will be able to provide new homes for hundreds of individuals and families in a well served and connected location.”
Stuart Penn, Lovell Regional Managing Director, commented: “Lockside is a key regeneration site for Lovell. We set out to create a new community of multi-generational new homes and the inclusion of an apartment block for over 55s was an important part of the vision.
“Through this significant partnership site, we’re seeing acres of challenging brownfield land being brought back into economic use and the creation of new communities in previously deprived locations, with a high affordable housing rate supporting everyone in need of a lifelong home.”
