£20m bid for health and wellbeing hub put forward
City of Wolverhampton Council has bid for £20m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund Round 2 to drive forward the Bilston Health & Regeneration Programme.
The government announced in February 2022 that Wolverhampton and Sheffield would be the first of 20 cities to benefit from part of £1.5bn of Levelling Up funding for new infrastructure to be developed on brownfield land to boost housing and jobs.
The aim of the £32.2mBilston scheme is to deliver a health and wellbeing hub in the town that brings together a number of partners and providers from the NHS, Social Care and Wellbeing and Leisure sectors to support around 18,000 patients.
It will be located in the centre of the town next to WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams.
The Levelling Up bid also includes improvement works to the town’s markets to build on investment already secured through the Towns Fund.
Changes to the markets will include public environment improvements, additional event space, and a new taxi drop-off and bike hub close to the bus station and tram stop.
A new ‘pocket park’ will be developed between the Black Country Route and Church Street providing a venue that will allow for street food and music.
City of Wolverhampton Council leader Ian Brookfield said: “The Bilston Health and Regeneration Programme will deliver major benefits in the town to support the programme of investment delivered in this locality by the council and key partners over several years.
“This facility will be located where it can benefit the town the most, right in the centre, making it highly accessible, underpinned by investment in public realm and connectivity.
“We want our traditional local centres to flourish, and our Levelling Up bid includes plans to improve Bilston’s markets – building on investment already secured through the Towns Fund.”
A decision on Levelling Up Round 2 funding allocations is expected to be announced this October.
The remaining funding required for the overall Bilston programme will be made up of £5.2mfrom the Towns Fund, plus council and partner contributions.
