MP for Bromsgrove Sajid Javid paid a visit to a construction site on Recreation Road this week, where work has begun on a new assisted living retirement complex.

He met with McCarthy and Stone's construction director Tim Lightfoot to discuss plans for the development, which will see a care home, extra care accommodation and affordable apartments built on the former Drill Hall site.

Mr Javid said: "In order to build a country that works for everyone we must ensure that we are building all types of housing, so that everyone has a safe and secure place to live. That is why it’s great to visit this new retirement development in Bromsgrove today, to see for myself the progress being made there.

“It’s been some time since tower cranes have been seen in Bromsgrove’s town centre skyline ,with the surrounding construction providing jobs for the local workforce. I look forward to welcoming the new residents to the area."

Once completed, the development will cater exclusively for elderly residents, in an attempt to tackle the region's ageing population.

Site construction began earlier this year, and has created a number of jobs for tradesmen in and around Bromsgrove, with an estimated 70 per cent of the workforce living within or near the town.

Site manager Steve Delorean said: "As a business we’re pleased to be able to source our tradesmen from the local work pool, and provide a welcome boost to Bromsgrove and the wider West Midlands community.

“As the development continues to progress we will be looking to recruit more skilled tradesmen from the local region in areas such as plumbing, electrics and tilling, with around 50 people working on the site each day.”

McCarthy and Stone expects to have the first homeowners move in to the development in May 2017.