Two Shropshire construction companies build £5.6m affordable housing development in Hereford

Work started on the site of 44 homes for Connexus Housing at Tillington Road, Hereford in September and is expected to be completed by March 2022.

Shrewsbury-based TC Homes Contracting Ltd was chosen by Connexus as the building partners and the company, in turn, appointed Telford-based Timber Kit Solutions Ltd to supply, make and erect the timber frames for all 44 units.

The development of two to four-bed houses and bungalows includes accessible and adaptable dwellings for wheelchair users. The homes will be for rent, shared ownership and rent to buy via Connexus.

Ray Wilde, project manager at TC Homes, said: "This is one of our biggest developments yet and it's part of our growth plans for the business.

"There is a shortage of affordable housing in Hereford and these much-needed homes will help to address that. We are an ethical company and we focus on affordable housing. We are looking at developing that market for the future.

"This market has been identified by the Chancellor as an 'economy booster'. There is a greater need for affordable housing nationwide and we are helping to fulfil that need.

"Land can be difficult to find and as a company, we have the resources to locate land and work through the planning process for our clients. We offer a complete package from sourcing land to handing over a finished development."

Simon Ball, director at Timber Kit Solutions, said the contract was worth around £500,000 for his company.

"This is one of the largest projects we have been involved in and it will keep around 15 people directly employed by us and a further six subcontractors employed," he said.

"TKS Ltd and TC Homes have worked together on projects for 12 years. Timber kits are a great way to build because they are a quicker building method, all of the timber is sustainably sourced and better for the end user who will need to spend less on utilities like gas and electric as it is better insulated product.

"Our work to fit the frames for all 44 houses will take around 20 weeks and we started back on site last month," he added.

The two companies have also recently started work on two further projects worth nearly £5 million.

A development of 16, two and three-bed homes at Station Road in Minsterley started in February and is due for completion in February 2022. The houses will be a mix of shared ownership and rented for Connexus. Work on the site will also alleviate a flood issue.

In January, the two companies started on site at Bridgnorth Road, Highley, building 20 homes. The two and three-bed homes will be available from Connexus as shared ownership or to rent and the site is expected to be completed by January 2022.