Construction is underway on a housing development that will provide much-needed homes for affordable rent and shared ownership in a Shropshire village.
Housing Plus Group was granted planning permission for 20 new homes on Ruyton Road, in Baschurch, and they are now taking shape ahead of their planned completion next year.
The homes, developed with £1,006,000 in funding from Homes England and a £125,000 subsidy from Shropshire Council, include a mixture of one-bedroom apartments, one- and two-bedroom bungalows and two- and three-bedroom houses. Representatives from Housing Plus Group joined Shropshire Council for a recent site visit.
Sarah Boden, Chief Executive of Housing Plus Group, explained: “Everyone deserves high-quality, affordable housing and with the support of Homes England and Shropshire Council, we’re excited to be taking the lead on this landmark project.
“This project has also won the backing of local councillors who recognised a real need for affordable housing in the village and as work is progressing well on site, we can look forward to welcoming the first of our tenants next Spring and helping them settle into their new homes.”
The development marks another key milestone in Housing Plus Group’s ambitious plans to build new homes for rent, shared ownership and outright sale in Staffordshire and Shropshire.
Kerry Bolister, Director of Development at Housing Plus Group, said: “We would like to thank Shropshire Council and Homes England for supporting this development that incorporates the latest ‘green’ technology, including solar PV panels.
“These features will improve the energy efficiency of the new homes and reduce the overall running costs for our customers.
“We’re very confident that the project will bring huge benefits to the local community and make a positive difference to people’s lives for many years to come.”
The site visit itself offered an insight into the excellent progress being made by Housing Plus Group’s construction partner on the project, TC Homes.
Among those taking part was Cllr Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Growth, Regeneration and Housing who said: “One of our key priorities is to ensure that local people and families have access to affordable housing who would not otherwise be able to afford to live within their own communities.
“As a local authority, we are ambitious to work collaboratively with partners to find innovative solutions to removing affordability barriers and to growing the stock of affordable homes in the county.
“I am really pleased to see that our partners Housing Plus Group and TC Homes are delivering these much-needed homes, which helps us to meet our housing need in Shropshire by developing sustainable and low-cost rental and home ownership.”
Following the site visit, Tim Charnley, TC Homes Director, added: “We are delighted to be working on another project with Housing Plus Group.
“In the current cost-of-living crisis and with rising inflation, we believe affordable housing is needed now more than ever. These properties will have a significant, positive impact on the availability of affordable housing in the area, helping the people who grew up there to stay.”
Header image: Director of Development Kerry Bolister, Cllr Dean Carroll, Chief Executive Sarah Boden and TC Homes Project Manager Georgia Lambert.
