Dawley housing scheme boosted by £2m WMCA grant

More than 200 homes could be built on the site of a former Telford school after a funding boost from the combined authority.

Telford & Wrekin Council put forward plans for 207 homes in Dawley at the now-demolished Phoenix School on Manor Road in April 2025, including 86 homes made available for affordable rent through Housing Plus Group, 71 homes for sale through Lovell and 50 sold to Nuplace, the council’s wholly owned housing company.

The 18-acre Phoenix site has sat empty since the school was demolished in 2015, having been renamed to Langley School and relocated across Dawley to a £20m purpose-built campus on Duce Drive two years prior.

The proposals are still awaiting a decision by Telford’s planning department despite several extensions to the deadline for determination, the latest of which expired last Friday, 24 July.

The £2m finance package has been provided from West Midland Combined Authority’s £128m Brownfield Housing Fund, and will be used by developer Lovell Partnerships to help with site preparation costs.

“My priority since taking office has been to turbocharge the construction of more social rent housing because too many people are waiting too long for a safe, secure place to call home – and it’s blighting their lives,” said West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker.

“This investment in Telford will change lives for the better, especially for those stuck in temporary accommodation or poor-quality private rentals.

“And it means another derelict brownfield site is being transformed into a place where people can live, raise families, and feel proud of their neighbourhood again.”

The Phoenix scheme is the largest housing project to be built in Dawley, around three miles south of Telford town centre, since the redevelopment of the Doseley Works in 2013 added 400 houses on the site of a former cement factory.

It is also the third WMCA investment in Telford & Wrekin, following a £4.7 grant for the town’s flagship Station Quarter project and a £360,000 investment at the Stirchley House extra-care facility in South Telford.

Telford & Wrekin is non-constituent member of the West Midlands Combined Authority, which collaborates on delivery and can access regional funding but does not have the voting rights of the seven constituent member councils.

Cllr Lee Carter, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “Providing high-quality, affordable homes is a key part of our ambition to create strong, sustainable communities across Telford and Wrekin.

“This investment from the West Midlands Combined Authority represents a continued vote of confidence in the Borough’s ability to deliver and will support the development of an important new housing development in Dawley. By providing a range of homes, including accessible and adaptable housing, to meet different needs, the scheme will help more people access quality housing while supporting the continued growth and regeneration of the area.”

Chantel Cresswell, head of partnerships for Lovell in the West Midlands, added: “Through our long-standing relationship with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Telford and Wrekin Council, we’ve proven that public and private sector partnerships are key to unlocking high-quality housing.

“The derelict Phoenix school site is a key example of where we are collaborating to create not just homes but a community, through regenerating strategic brownfield land. We’re looking forward to bringing the site to fruition.”

Plans and documents relating to the active planning application can be found on Telford & Wrekin Council’s planning portal using reference: TWC/2025/0382