Wain Homes’ Severn Valley region has welcomed West Midlands Mayor Andy Street to officially launch a brownfield site where Solihull agent DM & Co Homes has been retained to sell a range of 109 new residential properties.

The Mayor paid tribute to Wain Homes for choosing to develop The Green in Shirley on the location of what was the ex-Lucas Industries building, known latterly as the TRW Technical Centre, which is a brownfield site.

Work has already started on the six acre site at The Green which is situated on the main A34 Stratford Road commuter route into Birmingham from the M42, with the show homes and sales office now open.

Andy Street said: “I have been constantly campaigning to ensure that derelict and disused brownfield sites are targeted for development before cherished Green Belt.

“That’s why I am particularly pleased to be able to see for myself what Wain Homes have set out to achieve on a redundant former office site that has been unused for years. I cannot think of a better use for this site in such a good location.

“The Green will provide much needed new homes from apartments for first time buyers to families looking to grow into three and four bedroom homes. There really is something for everybody at The Green.”

Sophie Gwynne, New Homes sales manager at DM & Co. Homes, said they were already taking off-plan reservations on the first tranche of homes that have been released, with lots of excitement surrounding the new development.

“We are proud to have been appointed by Wain Homes to act as their sole selling agents in what is an ever popular area of the Birmingham and Solihull conurbation. The Green is a creative and innovative project to regenerate a brownfield site and create new, energy efficient and sustainable community for the future.”

Carl Haley, managing director of Wain Homes’ Severn Valley region, said: “Through our fantastic houses, Wain Homes will add value to local communities by regenerating historic older areas, such as here in Solihull.

“We are providing a wide range of homes, from those seeking their first time home, to downsize, or looking to move up to one of our three or four bedroom family homes.”

Dominic Murphy, managing director of DM & Co. Homes, said: “Wain Group is one of the UK’s largest private residential developers, aiming to enrich areas to make them better spaces for everyone to live.

“We are proud to have been appointed by Wain Homes to act as their sole selling agents in what is an ever popular area of the Birmingham and Solihull conurbation.

Prices will range from £330,000 for the two bedroom home, £390,000-£465,000 for the 3 bedroom properties and £490,000-£530,000 for the four bedroom executive properties. Prices for the apartments are yet to be confirmed.

Further details are available from https://www.wainhomes.co.uk/developments/the-green/ or by contacting Sophie Gwynne on sophie.gwynne@dmandcohomes.co.uk or call the Solihull office on 0121 775 0101.

Westcountry housebuilder Cavanna Homes is preparing to begin construction work at four new sites across Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, with a further ten sites in the pipeline.

The new developments, containing a mixture of open market and affordable housing, will be built in phases on sites across the South West, with demand for new homes expected to remain strong.

The forthcoming developments, which when combined will deliver over 700 homes, will be in Bickington and North Molton in North Devon, Beaminster in West Dorset and Wembdon in Bridgwater.

Construction work continues at the firm’s three developments in Exeter, and its communities in Bude and Holsworthy. Popular sites in Tavistock and Hemyock will be completed later this year.

In 2023, which was Cavanna Homes’ centenary year, the Torbay headquartered business recorded sales income of £54m, handing over 106 open market homes and 112 social homes.

James Stride, Director of Construction said: “Unusually we delivered more affordable housing than open market homes last year. However, this is an important contribution to help alleviate the housing need in the South West, and can only be achieved by developers and local authorities working together to build quality new homes.”

Cavanna Homes was praised in two prestigious industry awards in 2023. It made the shortlist in the annual Housebuilder Awards in the category ‘Best Design for Three Storeys and Under’, for the development Broadleigh Park in Tavistock. Cavanna @ Wolborough Hill in Newton Abbot was a finalist in the category ‘Residential Project of the Year (35 Homes and Under)’ at the Michelmores Property Awards.

Focused on strengthening its senior team, the firm appointed Alan Bray, Director of Commercial, Sophie Aylott, People and Culture Manager, and Hayley Mills, Head of Customer Services. Three apprentices were also taken on at the end of the year, reflecting Cavanna’s commitment to the next generation of housebuilding professionals.

Grayham Tucker, who became Group Managing Director at the beginning of 2023 said: “It was a privilege to join Cavanna Homes in its centenary year and steer the business through some challenging times, completing the year with a set of strong sales figures.

“The challenges, caused by external factors including increases in borrowing costs and issues around government housebuilding targets, are likely to continue through 2024 but I believe the great team at Cavanna is well-placed to deal with them.”

The whole Cavanna team came together regularly during 2023 to support Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) by way of a sponsored cycle ride, themed lunches, dress down days and raffles.

Since 2019 the firm has raised over £100,000 for the charity and in December it announced that colleagues had unanimously backed the decision to make CHSW its official Charity Partner.

Work is progressing well at a new Bovis Homes location in West Malling, with show homes due to open this spring.

Construction work at Pippins Place on the eastern edge of the Kent village started last year and the first homes were released for sale in the summer.

Two show homes are to open in the housebuilder’s four-bedroom Aspen and five-bedroom Birch house styles in February while the first new residents are expected to move into their completed homes in early Spring.

Candice McCabe, marketing manager for Bovis Homes, said: “The first homes are beginning to take shape at Pippins Place, and we are looking forward to opening a permanent sales office and show homes on site very soon.

“West Malling is highly sought-after among home-hunters because it is a charming village with a range of great restaurants, gastro pubs and boutique shops, and it is within easy reach of London.

“Pippins Place itself is just a 10-minute walk from the train station which has regular services into London taking less than an hour, so it’s the perfect location for commuters who work in the city but want to live away from the hustle and bustle.

“And there will be plenty to enjoy for those who come to live here as the development will include a country park, a children’s play area and an orchard. It will be a pleasure to come home to a property at Pippins Place.”

The development will be made up of 250 homes, which will include 150 three, four and five-bedroom properties for private sale and 100 affordable homes for rent or shared ownership. The affordable homes will range from one to four-bedroom properties.

The properties are being built on 44 acres of land to the south of the A20 London Road, with more than half the site providing green space, including a new country park.

A range of sustainability measures are planned for the scheme including solar panels and electric vehicle charging points at every house. There will also be measures to protect biodiversity including bird boxes and badger and hedgehog highways across the site.

Bovis Homes is part of Vistry Group, which also includes Linden Homes and Countryside Homes. Pippins Place is a joint venture between Vistry Kent and Wates Developments.

Natalie Flint, residential investment director at Wates Developments, said: “We have worked with many Vistry regions over the years, with Pippins Place being the first joint venture with Vistry Kent.

“The development has been carefully designed to minimise its impact on the environment and deliver sustainable new homes which will become an integral part of the local community in West Malling.

“We are pleased to see that construction at Pippins Place is now well underway and look forward to seeing the first new homes taking shape.”

There’s currently a choice of three, four and five-bedroom Bovis Homes houses available to reserve at Pippins Place, with prices starting from £459,995. To find out more, visit bovishomes.co.uk.