The site of an old shopping centre which had become a magnet for anti-social behaviour has been transformed into a block of 23 new affordable flats.

Solomon Place, on Lea Way in Wellingborough, is a mixture of one and two bed homes and was built by Lindum Group on behalf of Greatwell Homes.

The 23 flats are split into two different tenures – 12 for affordable rent and 11 for Rent To Buy, a scheme designed to help people transition from renting to buying their own home.

The development has benefitted from Homes England funding and the site was previously owned by the Borough Council of Wellingborough before being bought by Greatwell Homes (formerly Wellingborough Homes) in 2017.

Jo Savage, Chief Executive of Greatwell Homes, said: “New research from the National Housing Federation shows that the housing need within England is still very much in crisis. We are committed to developing a diverse range of new homes and offer a range of different tenures to help support those 1.6 million people in the Midlands who are waiting for a suitable home.

“New homes such as these, and others that we are currently developing across Northamptonshire, play a part in tackling the housing crisis and offers those in need a sense of security.”

The site was named Solomon Place in honour of former Greatwell Homes customer Stella Solomon who was the first female police officer in Northants and lived on Lea Way for many years. The new homes were built by Peterborough-based construction company Lindum Group.

Lindum quantity surveyor Martin Hall said it had been a really successful project.

“The homes were delivered on time and the development is a vast improvement on what was here previously,” he said.

“It was great to have some of the local residents at the official opening and to hear feedback from them. They were very complimentary about how our site manager Paul Coleman ran the project and they were really happy to see this area brought back to life in this way.

“This was Lindum’s first partnership with Greatwell Homes and we developed a very successful working relationship, which I hope will lead to more work in future.”

The site was officially opened on 20th September 2019 by Greatwell Homes, which was attended by members of Lindum Group, the Borough Council of Wellingborough and the Mayor, Cllr Jo Beirne. Surrounding neighbours of the site also had an exclusive first look of the flats.

Research from the National Housing Federation earlier this week shows that 8.4 million people across England are directly affected by the housing crisis and waiting for a home, with 1.6 million of those being from the Midlands.