Demolition powering ahead at housing estate made famous by 'This Town' television show

The demolition of a rundown Coventry housing estate made famous by the TV show  'This Town' is powering ahead as part of a massive regeneration scheme to provide hundreds of new social and affordable homes for local people.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, visited Spon End to see the 1960s-built blocks being pulled down ahead of work starting next year on the new homes.

With 7,450 households including 14,976 children currently living in temporary accommodation and 65,335 households on the region’s social housing waiting lists, the Mayor has made the construction of more social and affordable housing a priority.

Housing association Citizen is working with The Hill Group to demolish the estate’s Kerry House, Milestone House and Trafalgar House. Coventry City Council, Homes England and West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) are key partners in the project.

The demolition of the three blocks is a huge milestone in the project which will see more than 750 homes built across three phases.

In the first phase, 158 homes are being demolished, and, subject to planning permission, 261 affordable homes will be built in their place. Of these homes 209 will be social rent homes and 52 will be rent to buy.

The Mayor said: “We’re turbocharging house building across the West Midlands but it’s all just bricks and mortar if we aren’t building homes that residents can afford.

“Thousands of families across the region are forced to live in poor quality, temporary accommodation because we simply aren’t building enough genuinely affordable homes.

“Spon End is an iconic site with a strong community spirit, but the housing is no longer fit for purpose. Citizen is transforming the estate with hundreds of modern, social and affordable homes, and I know the community spirit will grow stronger as a result.

“In my first 12 months in office, I’ve funded over 500 social homes. That’s more than we’ve ever funded before. But it’s going to take all of us working together to tackle this housing crisis. It’s going to take all of us to make sure everyone has a warm, safe place they can call home.”

Director of Regeneration Services at Citizen, Kevin Roach, added: “It’s great to see the physical demolition of Kerry House, Milestone House and Trafalgar House underway at Spon End in Coventry.

“We have stripped the homes, which were built in the 1960s, of fixtures and fittings and the demolition of these will take place over the next few months.

“The regeneration of Spon End is a major project for us. It will see the area transformed by providing more energy efficient affordable housing, increasing the area and quality of green open space and opening up the area of the River Sherbourne.

“We have put the community at the heart of this project and their priorities and feedback have influenced our plans for the area.

“Work on this site will continue over the next 10 years and we’re looking forward to starting building works on the first phase in Spring 2026.”

The three blocks which are being demolished have previously been used as part of various BBC productions including This Town, My Name is Leon and Phoenix Rise.

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change at Coventry City Council, said: “When I was here just last month the fittings were being removed from the properties, and we can now see that demolition work is well underway. 

“There is no doubt that the redevelopment of the area will make a big difference to the local environment and deliver much needed better homes for people. That’s why it is such an important project that is only happening because of the commitment of a number of organisations working alongside local residents.”

Regional Managing Director at The Hill Group, Andy Fancy, said: “The demolition at Spon End is progressing well and the local community will soon begin to see a real transformation as the buildings are brought down to the ground.

“Successful regeneration is always rooted in strong collaboration and a shared commitment to positive change — and that’s exactly what we have here. Together, we are creating homes that respond to local needs and aspirations and we’re looking forward to continuing this journey and delivering a place the whole community can be proud of.”

Demolition works on the three blocks are due to be complete in early 2026, with plans to start building the new homes in Spring 2026. These homes, which will be one and two-bed flats, are due to be completed and handed over to customers late 2028.