THE Black Country is set for a housing boost under Labour plans for thousands of new homes.

The party's candidate for West Midlands Mayor, Sion Simon MEP, pledged to provide 3,000 new affordable homes in the West Midlands per year if elected in 2017.

Speaking on a visit to see the redevelopment of the old Dudley Guest Hospital site on Thursday, August 11, he also said refurbishment of empty buildings was a priority.

Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson MP joined him on the visit to the Dudley site, which is known as Butler’s Crescent, for talks with developers Wates Living Space.

The scheme will introduce 157 homes comprising of new builds – 39 of which will be affordable homes – and refurbished apartments, with people able to move in next March.

Mr Simon said: "The developers have taken a disused and derelict site and are bringing it back to life by building new high-quality homes.

"It really is fantastic news that so much of the new housing on the site will be affordable and that is exactly the sort of thing we need to see more of across the West Midlands.

"Dudley Council are setting a great example at Butler’s Crescent and if I am elected as West Midlands Mayor in May I will double the affordable new social housing being built, that’s 3,000 new affordable homes to rent built every year in the West Midlands.

"I’m very keen on refurbishment of the existing stock as a key part of the mix.

"The Labour government, up until 2010, didn’t build as many houses as we should have built but we refurbished very successfully an awful lot of social housing.

"That made a massive difference and definitely needs to be part of the mix, not just building new houses but improving the quality of existing stock."

Mr Watson believes the project at Dudley could be a "model" for future refurbishments.

He said: "To be able to buy your own home is much harder and that’s why you need a balance in the housing stock between affordable homes and homes to rent.

"A project like this is really interesting and could well be a model that we could pursue in other areas."

And he believes Labour’s Mayor candidate is best placed to deliver homes to the region.

He added: "Siôn’s commitment to truly affordable housing is front and centre of his offer to the people of the West Midlands.

"There is a desperate need for affordable homes and that means we need to build new council houses.

"That is exactly what we have seen here today in Dudley. It shows it can be done, because it’s happening here in Dudley."