Telford Town Centre Living Cluster
Telford, located west of Birmingham on the M54 was created as a New Town in 1968. Part of Telford’s success and appeal is its diversity. It is a place of contrasts, from the modern Telford town centre to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of historic Ironbridge, through to historic borough towns all of which are connected by a network of green corridors and protected open spaces.
Despite significant investment in Telford Town Centre over the past 10 years to create a new leisure hub and deliver transformational change to Telford Shopping Centre, at present, Telford town centre has very little housing stock which is limiting housing options for key sections of the community and in particular the young professionals that are needed to support Telford’s growing economy and to meet the demand for skilled workers.
Through the Government’s Towns Fund programme, Telford has recently secured £17.025m of investment funding to take forward the next phase in the transformation of Telford Town Centre. This mixed use scheme will see the delivery of a range of new developments including a Digital Skills & Enterprise Hub and the delivery of circa 190 mixed tenure apartments and town houses, alongside infrastructure and connectivity improvements and public realm works. A planning application for the scheme was submitted in Autumn 2022 with a planning decision expected in June 2023. Works on the Digital Skills Hub are due to commence immediately following planning, with the residential development to start on site in Autumn 2023 and be completed by Autumn 2025. Town houses are being brought forward by the Council’s wholly owned housing company Nuplace Ltd alongside Legal & General Affordable Homes, with grant funding being sought from WMCA to support the viability of this market making scheme, which will unlock a cluster of residential sites within Station Quarter and across the wider Town Centre, creating a unique opportunity to develop the Town Centre’s housing offer.
DESCRIPTION
A total of 9 sites have been identified for development across the wider town centre. These are situated on land owned by Telford & Wrekin Council and owners of Telford Shopping Centre, Orion. The proposals are focused on the delivery of a mixture of town houses and apartments, building on the town centre living offer being kick started in Station Quarter. Delivery is seen as key to ensuring that Telford continues to thrive as a town centre whilst responding to a changing retail environment.
The residential offer will be focussed on high density but sustainable design to create a mixed tenure housing product which will be attractive to young people wanting to build their careers in Telford.
PROMOTER AND PARTNERSHIPS
Station Quarter and the wider opportunities are being promoted by Telford & Wrekin Council in partnership with Orion and their asset managers Sovereign Centros, alongside Telford College, Nuplace Ltd, Legal & General Affordable Homes, Homes England and The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership.
LOCATION
Telford is the fastest growing town in the West Midlands with over 600,000 people living within a 30-minute peak time recruitment catchment area. As a new town Telford benefits from a modern road network ensuring excellent connectivity for businesses with direct links to the highway network, four airports within an hour’s drive and a direct train link to London. Station Quarter covers an area of approximately 8 hectares and the site is a key gateway into Telford Town Centre. It is located on land between Telford Central Train Station and Telford Town Centre.
The Telford Town Centre Living Cluster in total covers an area of approximately 6 hectares.