WORK to build new luxury homes on the site of an old rehabilitation centre near Bewdley is set to start next month.

Chaddesley Corbett cartoon creator James Driscoll is the man behind the £8 million project, which will see seven large five-bedroom homes developed at the former Park Attwood neuro rehabilitation centre at Trimpley.

Work has already started to clear the site ready for the footings to be laid, and the old clinic, which shut down in 2015, was demolished last March, however the project came to a halt due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Kidderminster Shuttle: An artist's impression of one of the seven new luxury homes planned for the Park Attwood site in Trimpley LaneAn artist's impression of one of the seven new luxury homes planned for the Park Attwood site in Trimpley Lane

This will be the first housing development by land owner Mr Driscoll, who created the award-winning 1980s children’s cartoon series The Shoe People, although he has renovated properties in Cornwall and Stourbridge.

Mr Driscoll, known locally as Jim, bought the land with his son Adam in 2010. Originally a manor house, the estate was sold in 1938 and it became a hotel.

It later became a country club, then a therapeutic clinic and most recently a neuro rehabilitation centre, however the site has lain vacant since it closed.

Adam and Jim originally planned to convert the 6.7-acre site into five houses, four luxury apartments and a penthouse, but were successful in gaining planning consent for the new plans last year and have teamed up with a building contractor in Kidderminster to bring the plans to fruition.

Kidderminster Shuttle: An aerial view of Park Attwood before demolitionAn aerial view of Park Attwood before demolition

Jim said: "It's taken us some time to get planning consent but we wanted to get it right. I've got a real sentimental attachment to the site so we've taken a lot of time over it. It's a spectacular site overlooking Worcestershire's wonderful countryside."

The new homes will feature large floor-to-ceiling windows and include space for a games room, small cinema and a study.

The owners say there has already been substantial interest in the new properties, which Jim credits to people needing more space to work from home since the pandemic.

Jim, who has been working from home himself for the last 12 months, said: "These houses have been designed with the intention that people will want to be working out of them. I know for a fact there are lots of people looking for nice houses to move into and out of the cities.

Kidderminster Shuttle: An aerial view of the Park Attwood siteAn aerial view of the Park Attwood site

"They're quite modern and fit in with the rest of Trimpley Lane, which already has some very nice houses on it.

"This will only help to enhance the community feel in the area. I think people locally will be very happy to see something positive done with the site."

Jim and Adam hope to have the first two or three properties ready and on the market by the end of this year.

Once completed, the entire Park Attwood development will have a value of around £8 million.