A ceremony has taken place that marks the first step in the construction of desperately needed new homes and sheltered accommodation in Church Stretton.
Town Mayor, Cllr Bob Welch, cut the first piece of turf to mark the start of work on South Shropshire Housing Association’s Ashbrook Farm development as future residents looked on.
A key part of the new 76-property site will be sheltered accommodation for current residents of Windsor Place. Their current home does not meet their needs for the future, while Ashbrook Farm will provide modern, energy efficient and purpose-designed living space.
The Windsor Place residents are delighted to see the work on their new homes starting and are being kept informed of progress on the site with informative monthly meetings hosted by the Development Team. They are also putting together a time capsule to bury on the site.
Mabel Wallace is one of the residents of Windsor Place, she said: “I think the site is lovely and I hope the builders will get on with the work, so that we can move in soon, as we’ve waited a long time.
Lylla Woodger who is also a resident of Windsor Place, said: “I’ve loved living in Windsor Place but I’m looking forward to the new building. It’s a lovely spot.
Anticipation about the start of the building work has been heightened by delays caused due to a dispute over the use of the land that was settled earlier this year.
South Shropshire Housing Association managing director, Paul Sutton, said: “This was a very exciting day for all those residents who are eagerly awaiting the chance to move into their new homes. We are creating high quality living accommodation that will be a credit to Church Stretton and replaces housing that is rapidly becoming unfit for purpose. I very much hope that everyone will see this as nothing but positive for the town and its residents.”
South Shropshire Housing Association is creating a reputation for using cutting edge design and materials for its new properties, having won a national sustainability award in October for its Rocks Green development, near Ludlow.
The social landlord is part of the Shropshire Housing Group, which has its headquarters in Craven Arms. The group focuses on providing well-built and sustainable homes, many of which are targeted at allowing older people and new families to stay in the communities they are part of, rather than being priced out of the area by the housing market.