Funding helps secure future of historic hospital and create 43 new homes

The funding will help secure the future of Audley Court, a listed building in Newport that will now be converted into 11 apartments, with a further 32 family houses being built on the 3.3-acre site. The £13m scheme will include a mix of tenures, with 35% of homes designated for affordable housing. Developer Cameron Homes says it will begin construction work before the start of summer and finish in 2028.

A former hospital dating back to 1908, Audley Court was in recent years used as a treatment centre by veterans’ charity, Combat Stress. The centre stopped providing inpatient care in 2017 and closed completely in 2023, after the charity said the building was no longer suitable for its service.

Detailed planning permission for the current scheme was granted in April 2024 by Shropshire Council. Cameron Homes will also contribute £350,000 to a package of funding initiatives to improve local facilities and infrastructure. 

John Hickman, Group Land Director for Tara Group and Cameron Homes, said: “Obtaining grant funding from the WMCA to enable Audley Court to be redeveloped demonstrates a collective public and private sector focus to see more quality new homes delivered across the West Midlands, within the communities that need them most. We have already secured planning permission and this gap funding makes the project commercially viable in a challenging market.”

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Too many people are struggling to afford a safe, warm and secure home because of a chronic under investment in affordable housing over too many decades. Our region deserves better which is why my priority as Mayor is to help drive the construction of thousands of new properties that are genuinely affordable. Rather than knock down a fine old building, this scheme shows preservation done right. Audley Court will now find fresh purpose, offering 15 badly needed affordable homes that will change local lives for the better.” 

Frontier Development Capital (FDC) works closely with property developers to arrange investments from the WMCA’s regeneration funds.

Ed Bradburn, Deputy Head of Property Finance at FDC, commented: “This is a great outcome for all concerned. Audley Court had been vacant for a number of years. We are delighted to have been able to work alongside Cameron Homes to unlock the site and ensure the sustainable redevelopment of this locally listed building for affordable housing.”