Council set to appoint leading developer for 400-home site
Capital&Centric is set to lead the redevelopment of a large brownfield site in Wolverhampton.
The City of Wolverhampton Council will consider a report recommending the appointment of Capital&Centric for a pre-development agreement on the former Sainsbury’s site.
The first step involves creating a plan for the 5-acre St George’s site, envisioning a mix of 400 homes, communal spaces, and green areas.
The historic Grade II listed church is planned to be repurposed as a central community hub. The development aims to include shops, workspaces, and café bars, adding a new section to Wolverhampton’s city centre, connected to the upcoming £61m City Learning Quarter in 2025.
If chosen, Capital&Centric will work on a detailed vision for the site, potentially accommodating more than 400 homes, and then consult with the community before submitting a formal planning application.
John Moffat, joint managing director at Capital&Centric, said: “St George’s is a worthy headliner among the line-up of major opportunities in Wolverhampton and fits perfectly with what we’re about … delivering eclectic neighbourhoods that mix the old and new. It has bags of potential and we’re already brimming with ideas of how we could deliver new city centre homes alongside community hangout spaces and loads of much-needed greenery. We can’t wait to write the next chapter for the stunning St George’s church, creating a new centrepiece around which the community will revolve.”
City of Wolverhampton Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Simkins, said: “Ambitious plans and investment as part of a wider strategy are driving the regeneration of our city centre, The Halls Wolverhampton, our award-winning £150million transport interchange and Grade-A office developments are testament to that.
“The St George’s opportunity sits at the heart of this, well connected to commercial and leisure hubs, which is a priority as we transform our city centre to generate jobs, homes and growth. If the recommendations are approved by Cabinet it will enable the council to develop an outline business case that will establish this site as a new gateway into the city centre.
“St George’s can provide an inclusive, safe and sustainable new quarter that will generate new opportunities and jobs, bring underutilised assets back into community use and, importantly, deliver much needed new homes in Wolverhampton city centre, which will bring wider social and economic benefits.”