A NEW 2.5million block of flats will open in Leigh on Monday.

Estuary Housing’s new block of 13 flats, Ken Johnson House, will be officially opened at the corner of London Road and Cricketfield Grove.

Social housing tenants will start moving into the new flats, which replace a car showroom, next month.

The homes will be let to people from Southend Council’s social housing waiting list at affordable rents of between £115 and £184.

Paul Durkin, chief executive of the Southend-based housing association, said: “Southend remains one of the key growth development areas for Estuary, where we now have 1442 homes, and we hope to continue to be able to develop much needed homes in the area for local people.”

The new apartments are a mix of one, two and three-bedroom properties.

The scheme has been developed by Flush Contracting at a cost of just under £2.5 million.

The Homes and Communities Agency provided funding of £312,000 with the balance being funded by Estuary Housing.

A spokesman for the housing association said: “This is the first scheme that Flush Contracting have built for us and we are very impressed with both quality and the co-ordination of the construction of these apartments. “They have been built to code three of building regulations and have been fully carpeted which helps keep down moving-in costs for tenants.”

Ken Johnson House is named after Estuary’s former chairman, who served on the board of management for 16 years.

Current chairman George Kieffer will open the new scheme.

Richard Herbert, chairman of Leigh Town Council, said: “There is a need for social housing in Leigh and we are very pleased to see it coming in.

“A lot of Leigh is very affluent but not everyone is and we have go to cater for every section of society.

“We welcome the new housing.”