We're making preparations to start work on a new affordable housing development after gaining planning permission from the local authority.

We received the go-ahead from Lichfield District Council to build 54 new homes on the site of a former school on Sycamore road in Burntwood at the end of last year. The 3.3 acre site was previously used by a primary school and adult day care centre and most recently as council offices. But the site had lain empty since 2019 when the buildings were demolished and Staffordshire County Council decided to sell the land.

Now our in-house construction team are getting ready to start work on site. The 54 new homes, which will all be accessed via Sycamore Road, will be a mix of one-bedroom flats, two-, three- and four-bedroom homes for social rent and shared ownership.

Head of pre-construction, Matt Batham, said: “We know there are hundreds of families locally who are struggling to afford a place to live. That’s why we’re committed to playing our part in tackling this housing crisis by building more affordable homes in the area.

“In putting together our plans for the site we’ve sought the views from local residents and organisations and would like to thank everyone who took the time to give us their feedback. Now we’re getting ready to start work on these new homes and hope to welcome residents into their new homes towards the end of next year.

“We already own a substantial number of homes in and around Burntwood and have lots of colleagues working in the area every day, who will be able to use their local knowledge to help and support our new customers when they move into these new homes after they’re completed next year.”

With 46,000 homes across the West Midlands and West of England, we are one of the country’s biggest housing associations and own more than 5,500 homes in the Lichfield District Council area. Between 2023 and 2031 we have plans to build an additional 12,000 new homes.