Funding secured to clear brownfield sites for housing developments

Wolverhampton Council has secured £1.4m in Government funding to help clean up two brownfield sites in Bilston and East Park, which are earmarked for new housing developments.

The funding, provided through the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2), will enable work to begin in the new year on the former Loxdale Primary School site in Bilston and the Stowheath Day Training Centre site in East Park.

The sites will undergo clearance and remediation, making way for the sale of the land to developers who will build new, energy-efficient homes.

Council services currently based at these locations will be relocated, improving operations and creating job opportunities.

The project will free up 7.5 acres of brownfield land for up to 150 new homes, with local residents having been consulted on the plans last year to help shape the design.

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Steve Evans, said: “This vital funding will enable us to kickstart this exciting scheme that makes the best use of council assets and fits with our brownfield-first policy. More importantly, it will enable the development of new and better affordable homes for key workers in the Bilston and East Park areas of the city.

“The relocation of services from both sites to more suitable locations will also support our plans to regenerate the East Park Gateway along Willenhall Road. Hundreds of construction jobs and apprenticeship opportunities will also be created, and the aim is to develop a net zero carbon scheme that supports the council’s climate change agenda.”