WORK has begun on a social housing development in Redditch which will create 30 homes for council tenants using prefabricated materials.
Redditch Co-operative Housing, part of Accord Housing, in partnership with Redditch Borough Council, will be erecting the ‘flat pack’ properties on land at Old Hewell Road, now the swimming baths that once stood have been demolished.
There will be 24 apartments, five houses and one bungalow on the site and they will managed by Accord once they are completed. The project will help people already in over-crowded housing move into appropriate homes freeing up those properties for others on the waiting list.
The council has already set up a similar project in Margaret Llewelyn Davies Close while Accord has opened a factory in Walsall for the ‘pre-fab’ materials creating more jobs into the West Midlands.
Councillor Mark Shurmer (Lab, Lodge Park), portfolio holder for the borough council, said: “We are very proud of our partnership with Redditch Co-operative Housing.
“It is very important to provide housing for people in Redditch who may not be able to afford it.”
Carl Turner, director of Redditch Co-operative Housing, said: “The great thing about this type of housing is that it will half the cost of living. It will half gas and electric bills for the residents. The people who will move in will have not a big income and so this will make their money go further.”
They homes are expected to be finished in June with each one taking just 12 weeks to complete.
