Major investment gives green light for development on brownfield sites
A multimillion-pound investment package to kickstart the development of nearly 400 homes and commercial premises at three derelict sites has been revealed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The brownfield regeneration schemes will support hundreds of jobs in Coventry, Nuneaton and Wolverhampton.
At least 300 homes are planned for Culwell Street in Wolverhampton city centre, in the first phase of the Brewers Yard regeneration project. WMCA is also backing a 56,000 sq ft commercial development at Abbey Street, Nuneaton, and 94 homes at Wood End Manor Farm in Coventry, which is part of a much wider regeneration project.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, said: “The Covid pandemic has hit the West Midlands hard, but we’re determined to not be knocked off course and to press on with our plans to remediate derelict industrial land.
“Not only do these projects breathe life into old brownfield sites, but they also help to create and secure local jobs – both now and for the future.
“Also, by prioritising brownfield sites such as these for development, we’re helping to protect precious greenbelt land around the West Midlands.”
Detailed negotiations will now begin to transform the three sites.
The investment is drawn from the devolved housing and land funds secured by the WMCA from Government and will be used to cover the expensive land clean up, demolition and critical infrastructure costs at the three former industrial sites, paving the way for development.
Cllr Mike Bird, WMCA portfolio holder for housing and land and leader of Walsall Council, added: “These projects are some of the largest that the Combined Authority has supported to date. Their approval is the latest in a series of WMCA investment commitments that have continued throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, helping to provide market confidence and put in place the building blocks required to drive the region’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery plans.”
