Demolition work has begun on a dilapidated building in Telford town centre to make way for a flagship head office which has been given the green light by planners.
Housing Plus Group, which provides homes and services in Shropshire and Staffordshire, will develop their contemporary building on the site of Reynolds House in Ironmasters Way.
The plans, approved yesterday (January 31) by Telford and Wrekin Council, will see a three-storey, 30,000 sq ft building with 78 parking spaces prominently located in part of the town centre which has received more than £100m private sector investment in the last ten years.
“I’m thrilled that our plans have been approved and demolition has begun because since our merger in October 2016, Housing Plus Group has operated from two head offices,” said chief executive Sarah Boden. “A new home for the Group will improve services for customers and reduce our operating costs, enabling us to invest more money into providing more homes and services for local people.
“It will also help make a successful local organisation even more resilient as well as enhancing this prominent part of the town centre.”
Among the equipment being used by Shropshire-based Garvey Demolition Ltd to bring down the existing building is a new 21-tonne excavator and it will take up to 12 weeks to finish the job before construction work starts.
Andy Irvine, Partner at Cushman and Wakefield, which is managing the project, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this project which is set to transform this site into a modern headquarters for Housing Plus Group.”
Housing Plus Group, which comprises Severnside Housing, South Staffordshire Housing Association, Care Plus, Property Plus and Severn Homes, is hoping to move into their new building early next year.
Customers of the housing and care services group are already appearing on hoardings around the Reynolds House site as part of the #BuildingOurFutureHPG campaign, promoting its work and future plans, including the new head office.
As one of the biggest local employers with 600 staff, it has won national awards for its repairs and maintenance service and its carers have been recognised as some of the best in the country.
Services would be delivered from the new HQ as well as from offices being retained in both counties.