Cameron Homes has secured £942,058 of gap funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to bring about the redevelopment of Audley Court in Newport, Shropshire. Construction work will commence this summer to deliver the £13m residential scheme, with 35% of the 43 new homes being designated for affordable housing.
Located off Audley Avenue – a mile from Newport town centre – the 3.32-acre former care home site has lain vacant since the Combat Stress charity for veterans closed in 2023. The institutional nature of the inpatient facility made it incompatible with modern care uses.
The locally listed main Audley Court building, which dates back to 1908, will be restored and converted by Cameron Homes into 11 contemporary apartments for affordable rent. Ancillary buildings at the rear of the site have already been demolished to make way for 32 family houses, four of which will be affordable.
Detailed planning permission has been granted by Shropshire Council, with the mixed-tenure development set to alleviate the town’s housing needs. The Staffordshire-headquartered 5* HBF housebuilder will also contribute £350,000 to a package of funding initiatives to improve local facilities and infrastructure.
John Hickman, Group Land Director for Tara Group and Cameron Homes, said: “Obtaining grant funding from the WMCA to enable Audley Court to be redeveloped demonstrates a collective public and private sector focus to see more quality new homes delivered across the West Midlands, within the communities that need them most. We have already secured planning permission and this gap funding makes the project commercially viable in a challenging market.
“We will soon commence work on site, in order to launch the development to the market next year. The 32 houses and 11 converted apartments will all be finished during 2028, making an important contribution towards Newport town’s housing needs.”
Access to the WMCA funding was provided by the Property Team at Frontier Development Capital Ltd (FDC) which works closely with property developers to arrange investments from the WMCA's regeneration funds.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Too many people are struggling to afford a safe, warm and secure home because of a chronic under investment in affordable housing over too many decades. Our region deserves better which is why my priority as Mayor is to help drive the construction of thousands of new properties that are genuinely affordable.
“Rather than knock down a fine old building, this scheme shows preservation done right. Audley Court will now find fresh purpose, offering 15 badly needed affordable homes that will change local lives for the better.”
Ed Bradburn, Deputy Head of Property Finance at FDC, commented: “We are delighted to have been able to work alongside Cameron Homes to unlock this site, which has been vacant for a number of years and ensure the sustainable redevelopment of the locally listed building for affordable housing. The funding received will help deliver a combination of open market housing, alongside 35% affordable housing.”
The heritage building conversion will provide four one-bedroom apartments, six with two-bedrooms, and a three-bedroom apartment. There will be 16 courtyard parking spaces for residents of the apartments and visitors. Each of the two-, three-, four-and five-bedroom houses will benefit from two parking spaces, provided on driveways or within private garages.
The exterior elevations of the houses will be traditionally styled with red brick and render to complement the local vernacular. The open space surrounding the homes will be landscaped, while a number of the houses will back onto the adjoining Shuker playing fields.
Burton Borough School is located directly opposite the site, with a range of shops, eateries, local amenities and bus stops also close by. Audley Avenue provides quick access to the A41 and town centre. Newport High Street – which features an array of restaurants, cafes, shopping, beauty and medical facilities – is a 15-minute walk or four-minute car journey away.
The A441 Newport Bypass heads north towards Wolverhampton (a 40-minute car journey) and south towards Birmingham (45-minutes). The A518 links west towards Telford (a 20-minute car journey), as well as east towards Stafford (a 30-minute car ride).
The latest green energy features will be incorporated into this scheme, with a very high EPC rating targeted. Specification highlights will include air source heat pumps, smart Hive thermostats, electric vehicle car chargers, and solar PV panels. As part of the development programme, Cameron Homes will also deliver ecological enhancements and increase the biodiversity of the site.
Established in 1994, Cameron Homes is currently delivering over 200 homes across 11 live developments and has a pipeline of future sites expected to deliver circa 1,000 new homes.
