City of Wolverhampton Council has appointed Wavensmere Homes as preferred developer on the £150m Canalside South residential development in the city centre.
Subject to planning approval, more than 500 new homes will be built at the 17-acre former industrial site, which benefits from frontage onto the Wyrley & Essington Canal and the Wolverhampton branch of the Birmingham Main Line Canal.
Wavensmere Homes intends to build 384 two- and three-bedroom townhouses and 140 one- and two-bedroom apartments, in addition to 7,000 sq ft of commercial space in disused railway arches.
The site is made up of the Canal & River Trust-owned former Crane Foundry site and the council’s former British Steel site, in addition to council land off Qualcast Road.
Avison Young supported the marketing of the site and Glancy Nicholls Architects and RPS have been appointed to draw up plans for the site, which will be published for public consultation in early 2024.
James Dickens, managing director of Wavensmere Homes, said: “We are thrilled to be working with City of Wolverhampton Council and the Canal & River Trust to bring forward this transformational development project. Canalside South will be the catalyst for a new wave of ambitious city living, which is vital to see the Wolverhampton pound spent locally. This scheme will open up a new walkway to the city core, reducing the previous walk time by 20 minutes, and igniting investment into a commercial corridor.
“Our team has a strong history of regenerating vacant land in the Black Country, and we are ready to transform this site into a £150m landmark development that the whole region can be immensely proud of. Seventy per cent of our existing supply chain is embedded into the Black Country, and the construction programme will create more than 100 jobs for local people. We are delighted with the collaborative way all land partners and stakeholders are working at pace to deliver change and reanimate this strategic stretch of canalside land.”
Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of City of Wolverhampton Council, added: “I am delighted to announce Wavensmere Homes as the new preferred developer for this large and exciting opportunity at Canalside South. Through our Canalside Delivery Partnership with the Canal & River Trust, we remain determined to bring back to life our brownfield sites on Wolverhampton’s canal network, which will in turn boost footfall in our city centre.
“We are confident Wavensmere Homes will bring about a nationally significant development on what is one of the most historic stretches of canal in the country. It will enable our residents to benefit from superb connectivity, amenities and health and wellbeing opportunities at this wonderful heritage location.”
Cheryl Blount-Powell, national property development manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: “We are delighted to be working collaboratively with City of Wolverhampton Council and Wavensmere Homes to bring forward a transformational high quality canalside residential-led scheme which will deliver generous well-connected walkways and public open spaces. The proposed layout will transform this derelict brownfield land, connecting more people to the canals and to its rich biodiversity.
“We believe this opportunity has the potential to influence the quality of future development around our canals and help demonstrate the positive impact that water has on those who live and use the waterways, encouraging more people to engage with their local canal and at the same time help support what we do as a charity and show that life really is better by water.”
Legal & General Modular Homes had initially been chosen as preferred developer by the council, however, the company closed its modular homes production factory in May this year.
