£9.8m homes scheme will create 120 jobs

Barratt Homes will start work on a 61-home development on land in Devereux Road which previously belonged to the Kenrick & Jefferson print works.

The firm plans to create the new jobs, which will include construction and decorating positions, during the project, bosses said today.

The Salters Park development, which is expected to be completed in 18 months, will provide a mixture of homes in contemporary and traditional styles with between one and four bedrooms.

As part of the planning consent, which was granted in January, Barratt Homes Mercia will contribute £116,000 towards improvements to nearby open space and maintenance of the surrounding area, which includes Kenrick Park.

Marianne Horton, land manager at Barratt Homes Mercia, said: "We aim to contribute a great deal to the local area through the development of Salters Park, both in terms of the high quality homes we are building and the jobs we will be creating.

"We strongly believe that community development is one of the most important aspects of any new housing development and we hope that these financial contributions will go a long way towards improving the lives of people who live in the local area."

The developer has previously said that a quarter of the new homes will be put aside to meet the borough's need for affordable housing.

The plans were granted permission under delegated powers by planning officers at Sandwell Council. In a letter to council planners, the developer said: "The development will provide a range of residential accommodation, but with the focus on a variety of quality family homes."

The land was once used as the sports club field for the town's former print firm which once supplied foreign bank notes and vehicle tax discs.

The open space is not a formally designated sports field and has been hit by fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.

A previous plan for the land was shelved by Sandwell Council nearly four years ago due to residents' fears that the new homes would lead to over-crowding.

The council wanted to build 43 homes with the help of Government cash as part of a drive to tackle a housing shortage in the Black Country, but hundreds of people signed a petition against the plans to build 25 houses and 16 flats on the site.

Meanwhile, offices once used by Kenrick & Jefferson in the Grade II listed Astle House in High Street are due to be converted into shops and restaurants under a £1.2m revamp.

The proposed scheme will see the site turned into shops, restaurants and cafes.