Development partnership approved for Wolverhampton regeneration plans

A partnership has been approved to bring forward development plans for the west side of Wolverhampton, which include 1,000 new homes, leisure, retail and public spaces.The English Cities Fund (ECF), the joint venture between nationwide placemaker, Muse, Legal & General and Homes England, will enter a partnership with City of Wolverhampton Council to deliver development plans for the City Centre West Quarter.At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday (18 October), the partnership was approved.It follows a Memorandum of Understanding between ECF and the council, agreed in March 2023, to review potential development sites in the city.The council and ECF, subject to heads of terms being agreed, will work to develop a strategic brief for the first phase of the scheme. The initial proposal will inform an outline planning application, together with a detailed phase one planning application.Maggie Grogan, managing director – Midlands at Muse, said: “Wolverhampton is an ambitious city with a can-do attitude. City Centre West sits at the heart of the Council’s vision, and the English Cities Fund is ready to work in partnership to deliver.”The opportunity to create new homes, jobs, and public spaces through regeneration is clear. More importantly, regeneration is an opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives today and for future generations.He added: “This is the first partnership to be announced by ECF in the West Midlands. It demonstrates our commitment to Wolverhampton and the wider region.”We have already developed a close relationship with the Council and look forward to working together to leverage regeneration for the benefit of all Wolverhampton’s communities.”Council leader, Cllr Stephen Simkins, said: “The Wolverhampton Investment Prospectus presents an ambitious vision of how the city can grow – highlighting opportunities to build on the levels of public and private sector investment already on site or in the pipeline in Wolverhampton.”Agreeing a partnership with English Cities Fund has the potential to attract significant investment and create new jobs across Wolverhampton – and it is important that we capitalise on the city’s pathfinder status referenced in the Government’s February 2022 Levelling Up White Paper, with the opportunities for investment that presents.”A City Centre West scheme can provide a wide range of benefits with the introduction of new housing, new jobs, and opportunities as well as the social and economic benefits in linking the city back into the surrounding suburbs at precision and pace.”