Mayor announces another multi-million-pound investment to provide affordable new homes in Telford

Families struggling to afford a safe and secure place to call home are set to benefit from another multi-million-pound investment from Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands.

The construction of 207 new homes on the derelict site of the former Phoenix School in Telford is being backed by the Mayor as part of his ‘Homes for Everyone’ campaign, which aims to kickstart the biggest social housing programme the region has seen in decades.

More than 40% of the new homes at Phoenix – 86 in total – will be for social rent – the most affordable type of housing.

The £2m investment comes as the region faces an acute shortage of affordable homes after decades of underinvestment in social housing.

The crisis has left 7,148 households, including 15,067 children, living in temporary accommodation across the West Midlands. A further 60,000 people are on social housing waiting lists with their local council.

A CGI of how the former Phoenix School site will look

The regeneration of the 18-acre site is the third housing investment the Mayor has made in Telford since he took office in May 2024. The two previous investments were into the Station Quarter and Stirchley House schemes

In total, around £10.5m of Mayoral funds have been invested into the borough to unlock more than 600 new homes – over 270 of which are social and affordable homes including a significant number of extra care apartments for more elderly people.

The Mayor said: “My priority since taking office has been to turbocharge the construction of more social rent housing because too many people are waiting too long for a safe, secure place to call home – and it’s blighting their lives.

“This investment in Telford will change lives for the better, especially for those stuck in temporary accommodation or poor-quality private rentals.

“And it means another derelict brownfield site is being transformed into a place where people can live, raise families, and feel proud of their neighbourhood again.”

The Mayor’s investment is being used by developer Lovell Partnerships to help with site preparation costs.

Once completed, 71 of the homes will be sold by Lovell on the open market, 50 will be sold to and made available for private rent by NuPlace – a lettings company owned by Telford and Wrekin Borough Council and 86 social rent homes will be managed by the Housing Plus Group.

Cllr Lee Carter, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “Providing high-quality, affordable homes is a key part of our ambition to create strong, sustainable communities across Telford and Wrekin.

“This investment from the West Midlands Combined Authority represents a continued vote of confidence in the Borough’s ability to deliver and will support the development of an important new housing development in Dawley. By providing a range of homes, including accessible and adaptable housing, to meet different needs, the scheme will help more people access quality housing while supporting the continued growth and regeneration of the area.”

Chantel Cresswell, head of partnerships for Lovell in the West Midlands, said: “Through our long-standing relationship with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Telford and Wrekin Council, we’ve proven that public and private sector partnerships are key to unlocking high-quality housing. The derelict Phoenix school site is a key example of where we are collaborating to create not just homes but a community, through regenerating strategic brownfield land. We’re looking forward to bringing the site to fruition.”

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. 

Kieren Turner-Owen, investment director at FDC added: “It’s great to be working alongside Lovell once again, assisting them in the regeneration of another brownfield site, creating much needed housing.”