Work under way on £3.3m charity homes in Shrewsbury
Work has begun on a £3.3 million development in Shrewsbury to provide almshouses for elderly people.
The former unused site at Horse Fair, Abbey Foregate, is the location for the 25 homes being built for the Shrewsbury Drapers' Company charity.
It is hoped the three-storey development, which will be known as Drapers Place, will be completed in October 2016.
The development will have 21 one-bedroom apartments and four two-bedroom apartments, plus a room for community use and a full-time warden.
It will double the number of Drapers' almshouses in the town and meet a fast growing need. They are the first new almshouses to be built for the Drapers' for 50 years.
The complex is being built by Morris Property on land adjacent to the existing Holy Cross Almshouses, between the bowling club and a former plumbing merchants site.
The Homes and Communities Agency, Shropshire Council, public donations and charities are helping to fund the scheme.
The Hong Kong-based Bradbury Trust, named after a Shropshire-born benefactor, is making a significant contribution, and the community room will be named the Bradbury Lounge to recognise this support.
Shrewsbury Drapers' Company has been active in the town since 1444 and currently has 25 almshouses on three sites.
Richard Clowes, master of the organisation, said: "This is a significant development and we are pleased and relieved that we are finally able to go ahead with the project.
"There is a consistent and growing need from the elderly for such accommodation which allows them to live independently in the community.
"This site is ideal because it is close to facilities and within walking distance of the town centre and its amenities. Our existing almshouses are always full and we expect it to fill the new homes pretty quickly."
Ian Galliers, chief executive of Morris Property, said: "We are delighted to be working with Drapers' Company to deliver these much needed homes.
"We will bring our experience in building homes of quality on time and to budget to this long anticipated development. We are proud to be involved in Drapers Place."
Details of how to apply for the almshouses will beon the Drapers' Company website at: www.shrewsburydrapers.org.uk at a later date.
