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Jephson Regional Committee Chairman Rose Green and Dudley North MP Ian Austin
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Jephson Homes Housing Association has started construction work on a £4million new housing development at a former derelict pub site in Dudley.
Dudley North MP Ian Austin visited the site of the former Washington Arms pub on Friday (12th March) to formally mark the start of work.
Representatives from Jephson, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and contractor Wates gathered on the Wren’s Nest estate where the Association is building 30 much-needed homes with the support of a £1.5million grant from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).
Ian Woodland, Jephson’s Development and Property Asset Manager for the Black Country region, said: “This development is further evidence of our commitment to Dudley and it has been extremely well supported by our local MP, the Housing Minister and the HCA. The significance of the development in regenerating the site has been widely appreciated and we are delighted to have started work on site.”
The development will provide 14 three-bedroom houses and 16 one and two-bedroom flats, with four of the flats being offered for shared ownership sale through the New Build HomeBuy scheme.
Ian Austin MP commented: “I’ve worked really hard to make sure this investment can go ahead and we can provide new homes, jobs and skills for local people. Residents were delighted to hear that we had managed to get this investment for much-needed housing in the area and it is a great pleasure to get work under way on their behalf.
We are only able to invest this extra cash and provide new homes for local families because the government chose to increase public spending to keep the economy moving and save jobs in the construction trade.”
In December the Government’s Housing Minister John Healey visited the site to announce the HCA funding find out more about the plans.
Jephson is working closely with the HCA and Dudley Metropolitan
Borough Council on the project and it has been hailed as a major
boost to the local authority’s housing plans.
