Willmott Dixon Group's social housing specialist Inspace has been appointed as contractor for a major programme to revamp elderly care accommodation across Walsall.

It has secured a £40 million contract from registered social landlord Housing 21, which is working in partnership with Walsall Borough Council under a PPP arrangement to modernise, maintain and manage the council's care home provision over a 30 year period.

In a three year construction programme to replace existing care homes with new extra care sheltered housing, Inspace will work on projects in six separate sites in Walsall to create 325 new apartments, as well as carry out refurbishments to an existing care home facility. Two of the six new build projects will be at existing care home sites, which will involve a managed decant process as residents switch to their new accommodation.


Work starts in June and the six individual projects will each provide between 53 to 60 units in three storey blocks that include associated communal facilities; with a tenure mix of general needs rented and shared ownership.

To speed construction, Inspace is using the latest building technology that includes lightweight steel frame and factory assembled bathroom pods, a combination that's delivered major efficiency gains on previous projects.

(CD/JM)