Hostel for homeless will meet deadline

A new homeless hostel in Stafford is rapidly nearing completion and on track to open in January.

Bosses at Midland Heart, which is re-building a hostel on the site adjacent to the Eagle Inn in Newport Road, say the 32-bed building will re-open in the new year.

The £3.4 million Eagle scheme will replace the former Bethany Trust hostel which closed in 2005 after complaints of crime and disorder from residents. The Bethany Trust had its funding withdrawn after "continued and serious failings."

Under the new plans the old Eagle Inn will be retained as offices as part of the redevelopment.

Providing an update on the development on Newport Road, Wendy Brown, project manager at Midland Heart, said: "Over the past six months, the majority of work to the internal structure on the new build flats has been completed, and work to the atrium is due to commence in the next couple of weeks.

"The refurbishment of the former Eagle Inn is also progressing well and has been sensitively restored. Over the next few months we will be finalising the internal decoration to both buildings and connecting essential utilities."