Former veterans centre to be redeveloped to provide affordable homes

Work is set to start on the redevelopment of a former veterans centre in Shropshire to provide 43 new homes following an investment of nearly £1m from Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands.

Audley Court in Newport will undergo a £13m transformation by Cameron Homes with 35% of the new homes allocated as affordable housing.     

The three-acre site has lain vacant since the Combat Stress charity for veterans closed in 2023. The institutional nature of the inpatient facility made it incompatible with modern care uses.   

The locally listed main Audley Court building, which dates back to 1908, will be restored and converted into 11 contemporary social rent apartments. Ancillary buildings at the rear of the site have already been demolished to make way for 32 family houses, four of which will be affordable. 

A design plan of the Audley Court development

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Too many people are struggling to afford a safe, warm and secure home because of a chronic under investment in affordable housing over too many decades.  

“Our region deserves better which is why my priority as Mayor is to help drive the construction of thousands of new properties that are genuinely affordable. 

“Rather than knock down a fine old building, this scheme shows preservation done right. Audley Court will now find fresh purpose, offering 15 badly needed affordable homes that will change local lives for the better.”   

Detailed planning permission has been granted by Shropshire Council, with the mixed-tenure development set to help alleviate the town’s housing needs. Staffordshire-headquartered Cameron Homes will also contribute £350,000 to a package of funding initiatives to improve local facilities and infrastructure.   

John Hickman, group land director for Tara Group and Cameron Homes, said: “Obtaining grant funding from the WMCA to enable Audley Court to be redeveloped demonstrates a collective public and private sector focus to see more quality new homes delivered across the West Midlands, within the communities that need them most. We have already secured planning permission, and this gap funding makes the project commercially viable in a challenging market.   

“We will soon commence work on site, in order to launch the development to the market next year. The 32 houses and 11 converted apartments will all be finished during 2028, making an important contribution towards Newport town’s housing needs.”  

The heritage building conversion will provide four one-bedroom apartments, six with two-bedrooms, and a three-bedroom apartment. The grounds will see a mix of two, three, four-and five-bedroom houses that will be traditionally styled with red brick and render to complement the location.

The latest green energy features will be incorporated into this scheme, including air source heat pumps, smart thermostats, electric vehicle car chargers, and solar PV panels. 

Access to the WMCA funding was provided by the Property Team at Frontier Development Capital Ltd (FDC) which works closely with property developers to arrange investments from the WMCA's regeneration funds.