A FIRST spade in the ground’ ceremony will be held to mark the start of an eco-friendly £1.5 million new housing scheme in Stourbridge.

VIP guests will witness the milestone on Thursday September 8 ahead of building work getting underway in November on the old Mayfield House site in Enville Street.

Eleven affordable one and two-bedroom apartments with solar panels and ground source heat pumps are to be built on the site and they will be rented out by Stourbridge Community Land Trust in perpetuity at 80 per cent of local market rent.

The idea was first put forward five years ago when singer-songwriter Eddy Morton identified Stourbridge as place that could become a leader in affordable, energy efficient housing.

He organised an informal committee, which developed into Stourbridge Community Development Trust, and in 2016 Eddy, owner of Katie Fitzgerald’s music and comedy venue, began visiting various affordable housing schemes across the UK.

Working with colleague Anthony Hughes, The Stourbridge Community Development Trust put forward its Stourbridge PowerHaus Project in partnership with Accord Housing Association supported by West Midlands Urban Community Homes (wMUCH).

Eddy said: “The project will address the issues of affordability of rent and energy, climate change and the positive effects that can bring to the local economy. It has been a long journey.

“It started with conversations in Katie Fitzgerald’s about high rents for creatives and the issues of homelessness.”

The development will be the first car-free development in Stourbridge. It will also employ an innovative, infrared heating system called Wondrwall, combined with mechanical ventilation and high levels of insulation.

Eddy said: “The nature of this heating system reacts to people usage in the building so it is very cost effective and agile.”

The site will host an art installation with an affordable housing theme from artists David Johnson, known as DJ, Cal and Bob Teale, from Monday September 12.