The 71-home scheme has received £1m in WMCA funding

Work has resumed on a stalled social housing development in Walsall after receiving a £1m investment from West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker’s regional regeneration funds.

The scheme, located on the site of a former scrap yard in Hollyhedge Lane, was halted in March 2024 after the original contractor entered administration. 

Social landlord whg (Walsall Housing Group) has now appointed national housebuilder Lovell Partnerships to complete the development, with funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority and Homes England.

‘Schemes like this one are critical to getting people out of temporary accommodation’

The finished development will provide 71 social rent homes, with two of the three partially built apartment blocks requiring demolition and rebuilding. Work is expected to be completed by spring 2027.

Mayor Parker said: “Being unable to afford a safe, secure home blights lives and prevents people from achieving their full potential. Schemes like this one are critical to getting people out of temporary accommodation and off waiting lists.”

Rebecca Bennett Casserly, whg’s corporate director of development, said: “We’re grateful for the support of the WMCA, Homes England and Walsall Council in helping to overcome the challenges and move things forward.”

The news comes as latest figures show more than 65,335 households are on social housing waiting lists across the region, with 7,450 households currently living in temporary accommodation, including nearly 15,000 children.