Plans announced to invest nearly £100m in housing over the next five years
The City of Wolverhampton Council has announced a £98m investment over the next five years to deliver around 500 new homes.
The investment, approved by the Cabinet, will be part of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan and is set to be reviewed by the Full Council.
£26.5m is allocated for the next phase of new homes at Heath Town, which will add 160 new homes to the 40 already completed.
The refurbishment of eight tower blocks at Heath Town is set to be finished by 2027, with a £30m budget for improvements like window replacements, insulation, structural repairs and safety upgrades.
Demolition has already started at New Park Village, where 205 old properties will be replaced by 188 energy-efficient homes.
Plans for 99 new bungalows on the Lincoln Green Estate in Bushbury have also been approved, as part of a wider strategy to replace 4,100 outdated homes. Keon Homes will begin construction in late Spring.
Cllr Steve Evans, deputy leader and cabinet member for City Housing said: “This report demonstrates the Council’s continued commitment to balancing the provision of new homes for rent while continuing to invest in better and safer homes programmes for existing housing and improving and redeveloping housing estates across the city.
“We have major plans on-site or planned across Wolverhampton, delivering better-connected communities where everyone has the chance to benefit from new opportunities.”
In addition to funding for new housing developments, the Capital Programme for 2025/2026 to 2029/30 includes £67m for estate remodelling projects, such as improvements to New Park Village.
A further £82m will go towards upgrading high-rise estates, focusing on building safety, infrastructure replacement, and energy efficiency.
£110m is also earmarked to improve the internal standards of properties, including refurbishing vacant homes.
Evans continued: “Of course, these plans are set against the backdrop of increasing pressures on the HRA year on year and without national reform of the HRA system, delivering medium and longer-term objectives is going to be very challenging, which is why England’s 20 largest council landlords, including City of Wolverhampton Council, have collectively developed proposals on national financing and policy, to stabilise HRAs and enable them to operate efficiently and effectively.”
