Council lines up £20m land deal

Sandwell Council is moving forward with plans to acquire land surrounding the newly constructed Midland Met Hospital, earmarking it for residential development and a primary school.

The acquired land will make room for the development of approximately 150 residences and a new primary school.

£20m will be allocated towards purchasing several vacant and deteriorated industrial properties along Grove Lane in Smethwick, adjacent to the Midland Met Hospital site.

The £20m budget is slated to originate from the £18.6m grant awarded to the borough from the government’s ‘levelling up’ fund last year, with a minimum of £2m sourced from Sandwell taxpayers.

These funds will be used to acquire the land, demolish existing structures, and prepare the area for residential construction, ultimately entrusting the development process to designated developers.

While the homes would be offered for shared ownership and ‘affordable’ rental options, they would not fall under the category of council social housing.

The council intends to allocate funds towards the acquisition of land, demolition of existing structures, and site preparation for residential development, after which the area will be transferred to developers.