A NEW housing development is rapidly taking shape to create canal-side homes, shops and restaurants.

Morris Homes is offering apartments from £158,750 and townhouses from £259,750 at Tower Wharf near Telford’s Warehouse.

The taller, five-storey apartment blocks, will house two-bed penthouse suites with views across Chester and the River Dee from the large balcony that wraps around the whole apartment.

The scheme had stalled due to the credit crunch before receiving £2.5m Kickstart government funding to get it back on track – half of which must be repaid within five years. As a condition, the house builders were obliged to take on apprentices.

There is planning permission for 112 apartments, ground floor retail units and 26 family houses.

Chris Minshall, regional sales director for Morris, said: “With its spacious layout and peaceful setting, you forget that you are only a stones throw away from all the action the city has to offer.

“Once complete, the development will also include its own selection of shops and restaurants linked by waterfront walkways so buyers have everything you could want on your doorstop.”

The architectural design features a traditional approach using brick facing walls, pitched slate roofs but with contemporary elements.

Morris is promoting the Government-led HomeBuy Direct scheme, which enables qualifying first time buyers to purchase a new home with a mortgage for just 70 per cent of its value without needing a large deposit.

An adjacent office scheme at Tower Wharf, by Telford’s Warehouse, is on hold as developer CTP waits for the commercial property market to pick up.