WORCESTER housing and care provider Sanctuary Housing has announced plans to build 450 new properties across the county.

Construction of the new homes will help increase housing in the area, and also support first time buyers onto the property ladder, with more than 200 being developed for shared ownership.

Grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), through its shared ownership and affordable homes programme, will contribute towards the cost of 170 of the shared ownership homes.

Sanctuary has received nearly £90 million of funding from the HCA to develop 2,265 affordable homes across England over the next five years.

Sanctuary will use the HCA funding, combined with the group’s considerable investment, to build a range of new homes.

Peter Martin, Sanctuary group director, said: “We are delighted to be developing these much needed new homes in Worcestershire.

"Our work in the area forms part of our wider national development plans to build 30,000 homes in England and Scotland by 2026 and help increase housing across the country.”