New probe set to look for ways to provide more homes in Telford & Wrekin
Telford councillors will be invited to look at new ‘innovative’ ways of providing housing in the borough.
They could be asked to examine using garage conversions, micro and modular builds, pods and other ‘compact’ dwellings, a report reveals.
A report to a Telford & Wrekin Council committee links the examination of housing to a recent government injection of millions of pounds into south Telford.
“Members will be aware that the Borough of Telford & Wrekin was originally designed to accommodate around 250,000 residents,” reads a report to the business and finance scrutiny committee.
“The current population is just over 190,000. Growth since the creation of Telford as a new town in 1968 did not progress as quickly as originally anticipated.”
The report links the work to look at new ways to provide housing with a recent government announcement of £20m Pride in Place investment matched by the council’s £10m into south Telford.
It gives and “opportunity to consider whether or not any of the innovative alternative accommodation initiatives that have been explored in other parts of the country would be of benefit within Telford.”
The report to Wednesday’s meeting (March 11) adds that one example is to provide “smaller low-cost homes aimed at single-person households.”
It talks sets out ideas including “repurposing of existing property”.
The background papers give examples of what other councils have been doing.
They include Bristol City Council’s Gap House project to bring manufactured eco-homes onto former garage plots, and Cardiff Council and Wates Group construction of 235 modular homes.
Councillors will be invited to set up a working group which “may hold evidence sessions, site visits, case study reviews, and request officer and member research.”
If approved the group will meet up to eight times between April 1 and September 30 before producing a report.
The business and finance scrutiny committee is set to meet in public from 6pm on Wednesday, March 11, at Southwater One.
