Homes boost for Ellesmere following Government funding
Shropshire Council has been awarded over £500,000 from a Government fund which will see up to 60 new homes built in Ellesmere.
The scheme will see the much-needed homes built on land at Ellesmere Wharf. The council is the owner of the land that requires some intensive remediation to enable it to be developed to provide up to 60 apartments, some of which may be for extra care provision.
The funding will be used for ground investigation work, flood risk assessment, initial design, and remediation works to what was a previously contaminated area. It will enable the council to unlock the development, which has been part of the plan for housing development in Ellesmere for several years.
Last year councils were invited to bid for funding from the £45m Land Release Fund, to enable them to bring forward for housing development surplus land that would otherwise not be developed.
Shropshire Council requested £544,507 and was successfully awarded the full amount.
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s deputy leader and Cabinet member for corporate support, said:
“This is brilliant news for Shropshire Council and for Ellesmere. I’m delighted that the council has received another funding award as part of the One Public Estate programme, which is reconition of the work that we are doing in the county. Through the programme we work closely with other public sector partners to look at land and property that we own and see how we can develop it for the benefit of our local communities.”
Ann Hartley, Shropshire Councillor for Ellesmere Urban division, said:
“This is such positive news for Ellesmere and Shropshire Council. It will help to meet the demand for much-needed one and two-bed apartments in the town, and is another step forward in the development of the brown field area around the Wharf head – which will hopefully kickstart further action in the area.”
In a letter to Shropshire Council confirming the funding award, Dominic Raab, Minister of State for housing, said:
“We look forward to working with you to progress Ellesmere Remediation, which will release much needed land for new homes, and I welcome the ambitious plans for growth set out in your bid.”
