Council housing company that houses 800 in Telford to provide more specialist accommodation

David Wright, the council’s portfolio holder for housing, told colleagues Nuplace Ltd now houses 800 people, with two new developments on the way.

Conservative leader Andrew Eade said that just over a tenth of the 420 homes planned by the end of 2019-20 would be affordable, and said this was “not enough” and the authority should be “aiming much higher”.

Shaun Davies, who leads Telford & Wrekin’s Labour-run administration, said he was “thrilled at the success” of the council-owned company five years into its life. He said opponents who voted against establishing it, or, later, wanted to sell it, were “completely wrong”, and the business model is being copied elsewhere.

Cllr Wright was updating the cabinet on the council’s housing investment programme, which included details of Nuplace’s expansion.

“Nuplace’s housing portfolio has now increased to 329 homes over the past year,” he said.

“Forty-four of those are affordable homes. We have development of a further 91 properties across two sites in Snedshill and Dothill, bringing Nuplace’s portfolio to 420.

“Nineteen of these homes provide specialist housing. They are located on a site next to the Princess Royal Hospital, and that provides high-quality housing choices for people with a range of mobility issues.

“Also in relation to that site, we’ve done a creative partnership with the local hospital where we’re providing an ‘earlybird’ scheme for health service workers, so they have an opportunity to get themselves onto the housing ladder through a Nuplace property.”

He added that Nuplace has redeveloped 23 acres of brownfield “that might otherwise have blighted those areas”, provides a good example to private landlords and will generate £700,000 in council tax and new homes bonus this year.

Opposition leader Cllr Eade praised the brownfield redevelopment, and said there are “great opportunities” to support social care through housing provision.

“As for the number of affordable units, and certainly the percentage of 10.5 per cent, I think that’s too low,” he said.

“I think the council really, as landlord, should be aiming for a much higher percentage.”

Cllr Wright said: “I think it’s fair to say, in the early days of Nuplace, we focussed on housing that would be based upon general needs. That is something that most large-scale landlords do to build up a portfolio.

“What we’re doing now is expanding our activity to look at supported housing and to look at a wider range of needs within our community. That is something we’re very keen to do in future developments.”