Whittington Site Update

At the end of October, some of the team here at Right Home Right Place went to visit Penybryn Avenue in Whittington. This site visit was with STAR, Harpers the builders and the Community Led Steering Group. STAR Housing is an Arm’s Length Management Organisation, established in 2013 and owned by Shropshire Council. STAR has a renewed 10-year management agreement with Shropshire Council to manage the homes, tenancies and neighbourhoods of the Council houses, flats, bungalows, and garages in the Oswestry and Bridgnorth area. This means that the scheme is co-funded by Shropshire Council, STAR and the government.

At the end of 2019, the Right Home Right Place team conducted a housing needs survey in the area. Having contacts with STAR, we asked if they would consider a scheme if planning permission was given. It all came together in 2020, when the site was purchased from the open market. Full planning consent was achieved in July 2021 for twenty-four new affordable family homes. The scheme has been designed to help deliver much-needed affordable homes in the area in the form of two and three-bedroom houses along with one and two-bedroom bungalows, both available for affordable rent and shared ownership tenures.

The site has been developed with the aid of the Community Led Steering Group: a panel of local volunteer members of the community, who have worked collaboratively with STAR’s project team to contribute towards design decisions, house type and tenure selection and the overall arrangement of the properties to help minimise the impact on nearby neighbours: all whilst responding positively and sympathetically to their village and giving local people priority access to the homes.

In the early stages, it was apparent that this scheme would present challenges that the team had not yet come across on any of the previous developments. The site itself is tucked away to the north of Penybryn Avenue, which has tight access and a steeply sloped position. However, the Development Team, Architect and Engineers have produced a design uncompromised by levels and the community has been supportive in helping to achieve ongoing access with minimal disruption.

The continued efforts of the site team and local residents have enabled site progress to remain steady with the main estate road being formed, foundations laid, superstructures rising and works to the retaining walls well underway.

 

It is anticipated that the construction of the new homes will take approximately 62 weeks, with the scheme being handed over in August 2023. We look forward to seeing its completion.