Westside could bring 1,000 jobs to Wolverhampton – report

The first phase of Wolverhampton’s proposed £55m Westside commercial and residential scheme could bring 1,000 new jobs to the city, a new report has found.The economic analysis has been put together by developer Urban&Civic’s planning consultant Lichfields after a formal planning application was submitted to the council this month.Led by the council, the plan includes a multiplex cinema, 50,000 sq ft of additional leisure space, new restaurants covering 40,000 sq ft, a 100-plus bed hotel and a multi-storey car park.The report said that 430 new jobs will be created once all of phase one is open to the public and more than 500 construction jobs will be available during its two-year build.The second phase includes new city centre homes and more retail and leisure space.If permission is granted by the planning committee, work will start next year and would be expected to be completed by early 2020.It encompasses land between Penn Road Island and Salop Street, including the current School Street and Peel Street car parks and the area around Market Square.Phase two incorporates parts of land between Salop Street and Darlington Street, including the Fold Street car park. Works on this section of the development are likely to be completed in 2022.