Former Dudley glassworks to be transformed into 30 home development in £5.9m investment

A former glassworks and builder’s merchants will be transformed into 30 affordable homes thanks to a £5.9m development.

We’re working with Liberty Developments, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Homes England to build the housing at the former Wood & Moore Builders Merchants in Wallows Road, Brierley Hill, which was also previously used as a glassworks.

The new homes will be built using Modern Methods of Construction and the latest low carbon technology.

Liberty developments will construct the properties and more than 25 percent of them will meet the WMCA AMC Zero Carbon home requirement using advanced methods of construction. These will feature low carbon components produced off-site in a factory and will adhere to strict criteria to meet the zero-carbon target.

The new homes will also be super energy efficient making them much cheaper for our customers to heat and power.

Our executive director of development Nick Byrne said: “We are pleased to be working with the WMCA, Liberty Developments and Homes England on Wallows Road in Brierley Hill to build 30 affordable homes.

“At Citizen we have an ambitious development programme to meet the ever-increasing need for homes in the region. We are looking forward to work starting at Wallows Road as part of this £5.9m investment to regenerate the two-acre brownfield site and help bring more affordable housing to the Dudley area.

“Modern Methods of Construction are going to be used at the site for some of the homes with panels and sections of the properties being made in a factory. This has great benefits including reducing the environmental impact as the parts will be built at a quicker pace. We’re looking forward to work getting underway.”

The investment at the site also includes £1.5m funding from Homes England.

Alan Yates OBE, chairman of Liberty Developments, said: “This is a challenging site, but we were keen to deliver a high-quality development incorporating offsite construction methods and low carbon technologies.

“The funding has enabled us to unlock this site and the fact that the WMCA is supporting new, regional housing developers such as Liberty Developments shows their genuine commitment to delivering its Plan for Growth with a range of partners.”

Last summer Plan for Growth was launched. It is a roadmap to help level up the West Midlands, drive future prosperity and recapture its pre-Covid position as the fastest growing region outside London.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, said: “This development is a perfect example of the type of forward-looking housing scheme we want to see replicated across our region.

“Not only is it breathing new life into a brownfield site, helping to protect our precious green belt, it is also using advanced methods of construction. This supports the new, low carbon industries of the future now springing up across the West Midlands, creating well paid jobs for local people.

“But most importantly of all, these brownfield housing schemes are helping to keep us on track in achieving our target of building 215,000 new homes by 2031. This is crucial if we are to tackle the housing shortage that is driving up prices to such an extent that many people are struggling to afford to buy or rent a good quality home.”

The Wallows Road homes are the latest homes to be built as a direct result of a ‘brownfield first’ approach by the WMCA to invest tens of millions of pounds throughout the pandemic to unlock derelict industrial sites for new housing and commercial premises.

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