Work starts on 177 affordable homes at former Chelmsley Wood school site

Work has started on 177 affordable homes on the site of the former Simon Digby School in Chelmsley Wood, in a development backed by £3 million from the combined authority.

Housebuilder Vistry was joined by Platform Housing Group, Solihull Council and the combined authority to mark the start of construction on the 4.5-hectare site.

A new neighbourhood

The site will become a new neighbourhood of one-bedroom maisonettes and two, three and four-bedroom houses. All 177 homes will be owned and managed by Platform Housing Group, helping to meet local demand for affordable housing.

The development will include a play area, a nature trail and new public open space. Almost £2 million secured through planning contributions will support local education, healthcare, transport, playing pitches, open space and biodiversity.

Vistry is using timber frames made off site to reduce the carbon in the construction and build more efficiently.

"The security of a home"

The regional mayor, Richard Parker, said: "Too many families have spent too long waiting for a safe, affordable home.

"These 177 new social homes in Chelmsley Wood are another step towards putting that right, giving local people the security of a home and the foundation to build a better future.

"My priority is simple: build more genuinely affordable homes, help families out of temporary accommodation, and make sure people aren't priced out of their own communities."

He said the combined authority unlocked a record 1,086 social rent homes last year.

Fraser Hopes, managing director of Vistry's regional business, said starting work was "an important milestone for Chelmsley Wood". He said the partners were "delivering 177 high-quality affordable homes while using timber frames manufactured off site to reduce embodied carbon and build more efficiently".

Kate Ellison, Director of Growth and Innovation at Platform Housing Group, said: "These 177 affordable homes will provide high-quality, secure and affordable housing for individuals, couples and families, helping meet growing demand in Chelmsley Wood.

"This project demonstrates what can be achieved when partners work together with a shared ambition to create thriving communities."

Why it matters

Demand for affordable homes far outstrips supply in Birmingham and Solihull, and thousands of households are on waiting lists or living in temporary accommodation. New social homes give families a stable, secure place to live at a rent they can afford.

Building on former school land also brings a site back into use without building on green fields. Chelmsley Wood, on the eastern edge of the city, is set to gain not just homes but new green space and play facilities for the wider community.