A TOTAL of 48 affordable homes are being built on the former Victoria Carpets Sports Ground site on Spennells Valley Road.

The developers, Living Space have handed over the first tranche of homes to social housing provider, Stonewater.

The site which is next to Kidderminster Golf Club has been derelict for a number of years, as previously plans for the site were seen as uneconomic because of the work needed to mitigate flood risk.

Matt Crucefix, director of development (West and South) at Stonewater said: “We’re delighted to have been working in partnership with Living Space to bring these much-needed affordable homes to this popular and well-located part of Kidderminster. Covid-19 has created its challenges, but it has not stopped our work in delivering high-quality affordable homes to the people who need them most.

“We are committed to giving everyone the opportunity to live in a home that they are proud of and we recognise that this is especially challenging in areas where wages are low, but property prices in towns such as Kidderminster are high. 60 per cent of the homes at this scheme are for affordable rent, with the remainder available to buy through Stonewater’s shared ownership scheme.”

Due to the flood risk the area has been raised by at least one metre and pluvial flow water course has been created under ground, so if the area did flood, the homes would not be damaged.

Steve Davies, Managing Director of Living Space Housing said: “Transforming this derelict former sports ground into a high quality new residential community has been our most technically challenging project to date.

“We have worked successfully with all stakeholders to fully mitigate a number of complexities faced from the geographical position of this site and the whole team is very proud of what has been delivered here. Having handed over the first tranche of homes, we are now working at pace to complete all the remaining works, so that all 48 affordable homes can be ready for occupation.”

Earlier this year, Living Space commissioned a 250-metre hedge boundary between the site and the golf club to respect and reflect the history of the area.