Demolition to begin on 'decaying' Telford high street shops set to become apartments
Demolition work on former shops and offices on a Telford high street is set to begin this month.
The former Wrekin Housing Group shop on King Street in Dawley will be knocked down and replaced with four new rented apartments, after planning permission for the scheme was granted in December last year.
Temporary site fencing has now gone up around the property, which sits opposite Dawley's famous Captain Webb memorial at the top of King Street, with demolition work expected to start on the building imminently.
The application put forward by Wrekin Housing Group, now known as Housing Plus Group, proposed knocking down its former shop and offices in Dawley High Street and the shop next door, which have been empty for several years.
The buildings are suffering with damp and timber infestations, according to documents published with the planning application earlier this year.
In their place, Housing Plus plans to build a two-storey block of one-bedroom, two-person apartments, which will be available for social rent.
The group says the new building will provide much-needed housing which will be "beneficial to the local community".
"The works will provide much-needed living accommodation for the social rent market in the form of one-bed, two-person apartments in a town centre setting which will add to the local community," it said, in a heritage statement which was supplied with the plans.
The statement noted that while the area had not been deemed significant enough to be made a conservation area, it featured "numerous 19th century structures that are buildings of local interest".
The building sits opposite a Grade II listed memorial of Dawley's most famous son, channel-swimmer Captain Matthew Webb, while the Elephant and Castle public house and several other buildings on nearby Burton Street are listed by Historic England.
"The proposal does not detract from local assets, and design details seek to compliment the built heritage and improve the appeal of the existing site," it added.
Demolition work is due to begin shortly.
