At a glance
What went in
Cannock Chase Council is proactive in regeneration schemes and the provision of new build homes for Council rent which are in high demand in the district. However, land availability for new build homes and suitable land within HRA ownership is in short supply. Following a successful new build programme on some of our former garage sites, Hawks Green Depot was identified as an under-utilised council owned site with development potential.
In 2018 the council approved a budget of £12.9 million for the establishment of a Housing Investment Fund. Part of this budget was used to fund the development alongside a grant from West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) of £900,000 to offset land remediation costs and associated fees. Build started in Jan 2020 and completed in March 2022.
What came out
A mixed tenure scheme was successfully delivered consisting of 44 homes comprising of 50 per cent (22) council homes for rent and 50 per cent (22) for outright sale. Taking into account the needs of the district, the council homes comprised of:
- four one-bedroom houses
- eight one-bedroom flats
- eight two-bedroom houses
- two three-bedroom houses.
The homes were built to a high standard and enhanced the environment, providing a popular and vibrant housing scheme.
Executive summary
In 2018 Cabinet approved a budget of £12.9 million for the establishment of a Housing Investment Fund to support the delivery of new council housing in the district. The Hawks Green development followed a successful garage site redevelopment programme which completed in June 2019 and delivered 39 council homes for rent on 11 sites throughout the district.
A review of the council’s other land holdings then took place with the key objective to maximise the delivery of homes within the budget. Finding an easily deliverable site of a significant enough size to be viable was difficult but the council’s depot was identified as an option, due to it being under-utilised. 50 per cent of the site was retained for the provision of existing services and 50 per cent was therefore available for an alternative use.
A grant offer of £900,000 from the WMCA made the scheme viable and the appointment of a development partner, Jessup Brothers (now called Morro Partnerships), via Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council’s Construction Framework enabled the scheme to commence and provide 22 council homes for rent.
Challenge and context
As the site has been a working depot for a number of years, covering an area of approximately 1.8ha, there was concern about the extent of land remediation that may be required. An application was made to the Homes England Accelerated Construction Fund and as part of their due diligence exercise, ground condition surveys and reports identified that significant land remediation works were required. As a result, the redevelopment had not been considered economically viable without additional grant funding to meet the gap. Unfortunately, the application to the Accelerated Construction Fund was unable to meet the funding required.
A bid was also made to the Stoke and Staffordshire LEP but while waiting for a decision, a successful bid was submitted to the WMCA and a grant offered of £880,000 to offset land remediation costs with £20,000 for associated fees.
Apart from the funding challenges and resources required to repeatedly bid for grant, was the rationalisation of the Depot site to ensure it could still function as a working depot, while relinquishing 50 per cent of the land for much needed affordable homes.
What we did
Council Members and Housing Officers were all supportive of the project from the outset and committed to the delivery of a housing scheme on the site. Key stages to delivery were the depot rationalisation, securing grant funding and procuring a development partner via a framework. There were concerns that the homes may not be popular for both rent and sale when situated adjacent to a working depot, but this has not been the case at all, the sale units sold very quickly and the rented homes are very popular.
The difference
The difference to the area has been transformative. From a large site that was no longer needed solely for use as a depot, to a site that now houses a vibrant community has been nothing but beneficial for the district. It’s an excellent example of what can be achieved on land that could easily have been dismissed as too unattractive or too difficult to build on.
Lessons learned
There are always challenges with any development but funding difficulties and working on what could be considered as a difficult site were particularly challenging, including during the peak of the pandemic, but perseverance can often be the key! Please see before and after photos below of Hawks Green Depot:
The project inspired us to continue with our house building programme and the council, with our development partner, Lovell, are currently building new homes at a former school site and car park. This will deliver 58 homes, 50 per cent sale and 50 per cent council homes for rent and is due to complete in Spring 2026.
Contact
Nirmal Samrai, Head of Housing and Corporate Assets,