Hundreds of new jobs are set to be created in Bilston, when 15 acres of brownfield land is transformed into a new employment site, including industrial and distribution warehouse buildings.
Mayor Andy Street, who leads the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has confirmed that the ambitious scheme, in Bilston Urban Village, off Brook Street, is to receive millions of pounds to help clean up the site ready for building work to begin.
Andy said: “This is a classic case of my ‘Brownfield First’ policy in action – where we target old industrial sites that have been empty for years and clean them up to build new homes or new sites for businesses that create jobs.
“The idea is simple – we have lots and lots of old industrial sites in our region that have sat unused for years. I have brought hundreds of millions of pounds into the West Midlands to get them cleaned up so we can build on them again, instead of digging up the Green Belt, which nobody wants.
“This site in Bilston Urban Village has been empty for 15 years, and its industrial legacy means it requires extensive remediation.
“However, the WMCA is putting the money on the table to get it cleaned up so the developers can start building and get it back into use.”
It is expected to generate up to 400 jobs once built.
The scheme will also be built to ‘BREEAM Excellent’ environmental standards, including photovoltaic roof panels and electric vehicle charging.
The Urban Village investment is just one of a number that it seeing millions of pounds invested in the area.
The family-run Wolverhampton company Drywall Steel Sections has secured £13 million to convert a long-derelict site into industrial units. The successful firm is already preparing to move to a new purpose-built factory on a brownfield site nearby, but the new units – for small businesses – are expected to create around 150 new jobs.
And Darlaston has been identified as one of 55 most overlooked towns in the country and has been awarded £20million government investment to be spent over the course of a decade.