Building work begins on Shrewsbury homeless shelter project

The renovation of Coton Hill House is now underway as work to transform the site into supported living for homeless people began this week.

Plans to provide 25 self-contained one-bedroom apartments at Coton Hill House were approved in October 2023, and on Monday, contractors were being preparation work and erecting site perimeter fencing.

The project is set for completion in early spring 2025, with work being undertaken by building contractor SWG Construction.

The proposals for the former care home in Berwick Road were revealed by Shropshire Council last summer and sparked an outcry among locals.

By the time public comments on the application closed, it had attracted 282 objections, compared to just 14 comments of support.

But the council said without suitable accommodation such as this development, those facing homelessness would be left in "wholly unsuitable" environments.

Shropshire Council said the new accommodation will offer supported living to single homeless people and provide a "pathway to independent living and offer wraparound support to help move individuals onto long-term accommodation".

The project at Coton Hill will also have communal spaces for training and on-site support under 24/7 management.

Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for housing and assets, said: “I am delighted that we now have a contractor to begin development of Coton Hill House.

"As with many councils across the UK, we’re seeing more people presenting themselves as homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless.

“The consequences of not providing suitable accommodation for homeless single people would mean individuals remaining in a wholly unsuitable provision such as bed and breakfast type accommodation. This limits a person’s opportunity and ability to improve their situation and move on.

“The service at Coton Hill will involve planned, supported accommodation and wraparound support for those presenting as homeless, most of whom want to help themselves find a permanent home and a job and be very much part of their community.”

Grant funding has been secured for the development of the scheme from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing &Communities, as well as funding from Shropshire Council.

Shaun Humphries, construction director for SWG Group, said: “We are pleased to have been awarded the contract for this project, and will endeavour to keep any disruption to a minimum during the work.

​​“We are proud of our record of delivering major construction projects across Shropshire, Mid Wales and the West Midlands, and we look forward to getting started on site.”