Keepmoat sells out final phase of regeneration scheme
The completion of work on one of Walsall’s most deprived former housing estates represents a significant milestone in the area’s ongoing regeneration, developers say.
A total of 281 homes were demolished in 2011 on the condemned Goscote housing estate, two miles north of the town centre, after the borough council announced plans for a major regeneration of the area.
Now, 15 years after the bulldozers moved in on the site, housebuilder Keepmoat has handed over the keys for the last remaining properties on its Primrose Lodge development – the third and final phase of the regeneration of the estate.
The announcement marks a hopeful new chapter for the site of the once-troubled estate, which was built in the 1930’s to improve housing conditions in the area, but fell into decline during the late 1980’s.
The scheme is one of four linked developments which have seen over 800 homes constructed on the Goscote Lane Corridor, which also include the regeneration of a former ironworks and colliery, a development which attracted £3.6m in clean-up funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority in 2018.
The final stage of the scheme, once the largest residential regeneration project in the borough, has seen Keepmoat construct 407 new homes in partnership with whg, formerly known as Walsall Housing Group.
The site includes 126 affordable rental homes.
Rebecca Bennett Casserly, corporate director of development at whg, said: “The completion of Primrose Lodge is another important step in the transformation of Goscote.
“Our vision has always been to create high-quality, mixed-tenure homes surrounded by green spaces and play areas where families can thrive. Working with Keepmoat and our wider partners, we’ve been able to deliver real, lasting change for this community.”
Partners for the Goscote Lane Corridor regeneration programme include Walsall Council, the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (BCLEP) and Homes England. It has also been supported by the Government’s Local Growth Fund.
Andy Mason, Divisional Chair at Keepmoat added: “It’s been a pleasure to work with the team at whg on this monumental project. As a partnership housebuilder, it’s a particularly proud moment to see the hard work and effort of two organisations come together to deliver a multi-tenure, sustainable development.”
