Express & Star

Artist impression released of new council homes planned for town

Twenty-one council owned homes are being built in Rugeley after council chiefs gave the scheme the final go ahead.

Published

The £2million development is being built in Green Lane on the site of the former Hillsprings Clinic.

Cannock Chase Council borrowed £1million from the Government to make the project a reality and is pumping in another £1m of its own money.

The scheme includes seven two-bedroom houses and 14 one-bedroom flats.The homes will be constructed by Cannock-based property developer Jessup.

Council housing chief, Councillor Frank Allen, said: "It is a council priority to increase the supply of affordable housing in the district and in partnership with Jessup we are able to take another step to achieving this.

"It will also be a great improvement to the area."

Another view of how the homes will look once complete.

Members of the council's cabinet gave the scheme the final thumbs-up at a meeting of the local authority.

Clive Jessup, chief executive of Jessup, added: "We are delighted to be working with Cannock Chase Council in providing much needed affordable homes in the area.

"As a local company we will use local suppliers to help us achieve this."

Building work on the homes is due to start in the spring and is expected to take 12 months to be completed.

Twenty-one families from the council's housing register will then move into their new homes.

Cannock Chase Council is one of 22 authorities across the country given permission to borrow cash for the project and 65 council homes are also being built in Chadsmoor.

Work is expected to start there shortly.

Housebuilder Keepmoat Homes will build the new Chadsmoor properties and work is due to start later in the year.

Out of the 65 council houses, 30 will have two bedrooms, 27 will have three bedrooms and eight will have four bedrooms.

The last council houses in Cannock Chase were built in 1987.

Another artist impression of the new homes being built

It comes as plans are drawn up for new houses across the district to meet a growing demand.

Almost 6,000 homes will be built over the next 14 years as part of the area's 'local plan' strategy.

And the council agreed earlier this year to carry out £34 million of improvements at homes, including 300 new kitchens, 1,000 bathrooms and 745 boilers.

Neighbouring authorities have also been launching projects to build new council houses.

It emerged last month that more than 1,000 bids have been made for just eight new council houses in Wolverhampton.

The properties in Thompson Avenue, Ettingshall, are the first council homes in the city for 30 years.

A total of 120 houses will be built at the site in total and are being constructed and released in phases.

Wolverhampton Homes has been allowing bids on four properties at a time.

In the first round of applications in September, the housing agency received 551 applications. In October

the second group of four houses was released and bosses received 471 expressions of interest.

Wolverhampton City Council struck a deal with Kier Partnership Homes last year to build the houses.

'Visit our featured local Home Improvements businesses here'

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.