New council homes for Shropshire are a step nearer

Shropshire Council has taken the next step to providing homes in the county which are not being built by commercial developers.

It has identified three towns where it owns land that is ripe for development.

The council wants to plug the housing gap by building starter homes, houses for key workers and possible even group dwelling schemes on land that it owns.

Its full council meeting has voted to set up a 'Council Wholly Owned Local Housing Company' in a bid to build more than 2,000 homes across the county in the next 10 years.

The concept mirrors Telford & Wekin Council's NuPlace, which has already built hundreds of homes for rent.

The first projects are expected to be in Oswestry, Ellesmere and Shrewsbury, where council owned land is available.

Councillor Kevin Turley applauded the move.

He said: "It's a phenomenal project and it is shame we don't have a spade in the ground already

Councillor Hannah Fraser said it was overdue, adding: "The council needs to built where the market isn't providing these houses. But I have deep reservations over whether it can work."

Acquire

Some south Shropshire councillors have called for sites in their areas to come forward and urged the council to look at working with landowners to help new build get off the ground.

Council leader, Peter Nutting, said: "As soon as we can acquire land in the south we will do something."

"If we develop a site for 100 houses about 30 per cent will be for social housing, 30 per cent for other housing such as key workers and then the other 30 per cent will have to help the council to make this viable.

"We don't have to build four and five-bedroom housing to do that, there is a market for two and three-bedroom homes.

"I would also like to see a return to the council creating group dwelling schemes. We have moved away from them recently but need to look at the concept again to keep people out of adult social care."

A new report on the project should be put to the council at the end of February.

A business case prepared by consultants says that the council could make millions of pounds by building homes, as well as tackling a shortfall in commercial house building in the county.

It says commercial housebuilders focus on large, four and five-bedroom homes.

The new homes could raise more than £4.3million for the authority.

One of the aims is to encourage key workers in health, education, social care and other public services to remain or move to the county.