Construction starts on £12m Ellesmere resi scheme
Building work on a 64-home residential scheme at a grade two-listed former railway station is now under way.
Passenger services ceased calling at the town of Ellesmere in Shropshire during 1965, when the town’s railway services fell victim to the infamous Beeching axe, following more than a hundred years as part of the Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway line.
But the historic station building and former sidings, which were bought up by Homes England in the 2010’s, is set for a new lease of life as a mixed tenure housing scheme, being built on behalf of social housing group Housing Plus by South Shropshire construction firm SJ Roberts.
Outline proposals for the site were given the green light in 2021, and ground work began late last year following approval of detailed plans. SJ Roberts were appointed to the scheme in September, and have been completing preparatory works at the site.
The first timber frame kits arrived on site this month, with construction expected to be completed in 2027.
Construction work is now under way at Ellesmere Station. Credit: SJR
The development will be made up of a mix of one, two and three-bedroom homes with seven of the proposed 64 dwellings set to be built inside the former railway station, with the completed houses set to be made available for social rent, shared ownership and private rent.
“Delivery of the timber frame kits is always an exciting milestone on a development of this kind as it’s when the site really starts to take shape,” said Mike Sambrook, managing director at SJ Roberts Construction.
“We’ve been busy here for several months completing lots of preparatory work, but this now marks the start of the next phase of development. That will now continue at pace, and we’re excited to see this development come to life.”
Speaking at the launch of the scheme last year, head of development at Housing Plus Group, Sepp Sargeant, said: “We’re really excited to be delivering these new homes in Ellesmere, helping to meet the need for high quality, affordable homes in the area.
“The mix of homes, from one-bedroom apartments to three-bedroom houses, will cater to a range of people and will bring disused, Grade-2 listed railway station buildings back to life after being abandoned for some years.”
