A £1.4m funding deal paves the way for new housing development in Oldbury

A total of 84 homes are to be constructed by Worcestershire based housebuilder Lioncourt Homes after the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) agreed to provide the funds towards the cost of cleaning up the former industrial site and making it ready for housing. Lioncourt Homes can now press ahead with the regeneration of the 5.6-acre brownfield site which has stood empty and neglected since its last remaining industrial buildings were demolished in the 1990s.

The development, off Mill Lane in Oldbury, will see Lioncourt build 16 semi-detached houses for sale on a shared ownership basis thanks to a clause in all WMCA funding grants which requires at least 20% of the new homes to be classed affordable for local people.

Lioncourt Homes has agreed a construction employment and skills plan with Sandwell Council that will create five new jobs and three paid apprenticeships for local people. Three of the new jobs will be for long-term unemployed or vulnerable people, one for a graduate and another will be in a managerial support role.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “One of the biggest challenges we face in the West Midlands is the need to build 215,000 new homes by 2031, and to make sure a good proportion of these homes are affordable for local people.
“At the same time, we also have a vast amount of industrial land crying out for redevelopment which has sat derelict for decades.
“This latest development in Oldbury is a great example of how, by using derelict brownfield land, we can both relieve pressure on the Green Belt and help protect our environment for future generations, while also providing people with quality, affordable homes that will help to meet our 2031 housing target.”

Colin Cole, chief executive of Lioncourt Homes, added: “We are proud to be providing high quality affordable homes to people in Oldbury whilst also transforming a derelict industrial site into a thriving new community and bringing much needed housing to the region.
“We are extremely grateful to the WMCA and Sandwell Council for supporting our Brewers Meadow development and our ambitious plans to provide employment opportunities and apprenticeships to local people.”

Rupert Detheridge of BTS acted for Lioncourt Homes in the submission of the grant application. Access to the funding was provided by Frontier Development Capital Ltd.