Work has now started on the first new council houses to be built in Wolverhampton for 30 years.

Type=image;ImageID=3653;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=Laying the first bricks at the development in Thompson Avenue;TitleClass=strong;

Type=image;ImageID=3652;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=Thompson Avenue Council Housing Development;TitleClass=strong;

Councillor Peter Bilson, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Prosperity, helped lay the first bricks at the development in Thompson Avenue.

The scheme will see the creation of 120 new houses - 40 of which will be council homes, representing the first to be built in the city since the 1980s.

In September, the city council approved the plans by Kier Partnership Homes to redevelop the site.

The overall development will see a mixture of properties across the 7 acre site, ranging from bungalows to 4 bedroom properties.

These properties are part of wider plans to regenerate the city and increase the number of decent and affordable homes in Wolverhampton.

It is anticipated that the first council properties will be available in July 2014, with the rest built by the end of March 2015. The overall development is expected to be completed in 2017.

Councillor Peter Bilson, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Prosperity, said: "I am delighted to play a part in this historic milestone for the city.

"There has been a great deal of interest in the scheme since we announced we will be building the first new council homes in Wolverhampton for 3 decades so it is excellent to see the work start.

"One of our key priorities is to increase the number of decent and affordable homes available in the city, so this development will certainly help us achieve that."

Chris King, Managing Director of Kier Partnership Homes, said: "We are proud to be working alongside the city council to provide the first new council

homes in 30 years.

"We understand that affordable housing needs and a sustainable design both play an important role in this development."

  • released: Monday 24 March, 2014