New homes for Brockton after fire
When a fire broke out in a Brockton home in the early hours of a January morning two years ago, it took eight fire crews from across Shropshire and Wales to fight the blaze. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the catastrophic damage caused to the house and a neighbouring property meant they were unsafe and uninhabitable. A third house nearby became vacant shortly after the fire.
Now, three modern, fuel-efficient homes have been constructed in their place to help meet the demand for affordable housing in the area. Constructed with a focus on energy efficiency, they feature air source heat pumps which provide safe and economical heating in an area without mains gas provision.
Housing association Connexus, in collaboration with developer J Harper & Sons Ltd have built two semi-detached three-bedroom houses and one detached two-bedroom house on the site of the damaged homes. Support from the local council and funding from Homes England was key to the redevelopment.
All three homes will be offered as affordable rental options, with one of them already allocated to a returning resident. Work was finished in October, and an opening event was held recently to celebrate the completion with local councillors and the community.
Interim chief executive at Connexus Sara Woodall said: “We’re incredibly pleased to have delivered these fantastic homes following the fire two years ago.
"The project was a collaborative effort, with support from Homes England and Shropshire Council's Local Planning Authority playing a pivotal role in making this neighbourhood transformation possible.
“This scheme emphasises our commitment to providing affordable housing in the most rural areas, with a further 200 homes across Shropshire and Herefordshire scheduled to be built in the coming year.”
Bhups Gosal, Head of Provider Management at Homes England, said: “As the Government’s housing and regeneration agency, increasing the supply of quality affordable homes remains one of our key objectives and we are committed to supporting ambitious housebuilders of all sizes to build those homes and communities. This investment through the Affordable Homes Programme does just that, enabling Connexus to build much needed new homes the people of Brockton can be proud of.”
