City of Wolverhampton Council’s Heath Town regeneration scheme has hit a major milestone with the roofs starting to go on what are the first new council homes on the estate since it was officially opened by HRH Princess Margaret in 1969.

It forms part of a major transformation of the estate, which has seen an extensive demolition programme of vacant buildings, existing residential blocks undergo major improvements by Wolverhampton Homes, and the creation of three new play areas and a football pitch.

A mixture of 40, two-bedroom and four-bedroom council houses are being built across three sites on Hobgate Road and one site on Tithe Croft, off Chervil Rise, by contractors EQUANS, the new name for ENGIE’s service-led activity.

They will mark the first phase of a total of up to 200 new homes to be built on the estate over the coming years, with the council set to develop nine sites in total.

All of the new homes will have their own car parking space provided and the majority will come with gardens, with the first houses due to be completed by early 2023.

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, said: “We are making great strides in our transformation of Heath Town and it is wonderful to see the roofs starting to go on the first new council homes.

“One of our key priorities is to increase the number of decent and affordable homes available in the city.

“This development will certainly help us achieve that and I am looking forward to seeing the first tenants moving into these fantastic new homes next year.”

Simon Hoult, Project Manager at EQUANS, said: “It’s great to reach this important milestone on the project.

“We are proud to be able to use our community regeneration expertise to support our partners in their ambitious plans for Heath Town, and I’m sure these much-needed affordable homes will create a place that the new residents can be very proud to call home.”

Other works already completed as part of the redevelopment include the demolition of walkways and garages in the Hobgate Road area of the estate and the refurbishment of the ground and lower ground floors of Ling House to provide new office, meeting and activity space for Hope Family Centre.

The Heathfield Park Neighbourhood Plan was one of the main drivers for the remodelling of the estate.  Residents, consulted through the neighbourhood planning process, prioritised new affordable family homes as well as play areas and improved security.

Image caption: Simon Hoult, EQUANS Project Manager, and Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, in front of the new council homes at Heath Town