Green Innovation Corridor
Wolverhampton’s Green Innovation Corridor (GIC) will connect key assets at the University of Wolverhampton’s Springfield Campus with University of Wolverhampton Science Park, the city centre and potentially further north to i54 Business Park.
It will introduce new development opportunities, and incubation space stimulating further regeneration and improvements to the city’s green and blue networks.
OPPORTUNITY
The Green Innovation Corridor will support the growth of new green industries, turbocharging economic prosperity and closing the productivity gap. It will address the need for nurturing and mentoring new entrepreneurs, supporting new business start-ups, scaling up, and developing new products and services aligning to Wolverhampton’s existing strengths in high value manufacturing, green technologies, digital innovation and brownfield land regeneration. Development activity on a phased basis will focus on vacant and underutilised land at the University of Wolverhampton Springfield Campus and University of Wolverhampton Science Park and surrounding areas.
Promoter: City of Wolverhampton Council University of Wolverhampton
Scale: £225m GDV
Sector: Research, Education and Skills Digital Tech, Advanced Manufacturing, Green Industries / Innovation, Aerospace & Employment
Location: Wolverhampton
Investment Type: Investor / Development Partner / Funder / Equity Investor for Development Sites / End Occupiers - research / Digital Technology Green Innovation and Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Businesses
Programme: 2023 onwards
Planning Status: Corridor spans two adopted Area Action Plans
Website: www.investwolverhampton.com
BACKGROUND
The initial phase at University of Wolverhampton’s Springfield Campus will regenerate a University of Wolverhampton-owned and operated
1.21 hectare brownfield site, creating a total of 4,955m² of new innovation commercial / incubator workspace and 330 high quality jobs for local people. Talent will be retained by delivering opportunities for students from the co-located Thomas Telford University Technical College, School of Architecture and Built Environment, and the City of Wolverhampton College’s Construction Innovation Centre. This project will also provide 4,410m² public realm and 200m green blue infrastructure, leveraging significant private sector investment.
Acting as a catalyst for future phases, the Green Innovation Corridor will overall deliver 22,762m² of new commercial and incubator space, create 1,220 jobs, and regenerate 2.32 hectares for mixed use development on
3.96 hectares of brownfield land. The vision for the Green Innovation Corridor will drive the Green Industrial Revolution, building on Wolverhampton’s sustainable construction, green and circular economy credentials. The Corridor builds on the city’s key assets in skills, research and high-end manufacturing to level up the city’s economy, support business growth and create quality jobs for local residents. It will also stimulate wider regeneration by acting as a catalyst
for additional private sector investment in the Science Park and unlocking brownfield sites for mixed-use development. The Northern end of the corridor is one of the main gateways into the city
and one of the region’s premier locations for employment and commercial development. There are opportunities in this area to enhance the research and development offer at University of Wolverhampton Science Park and create a green innovation district linked to the National Brownfield Institute in the city centre.
DESCRIPTION
The Green Innovation Corridor will build on regeneration undertaken at the Springfield Campus. Phase One of the Springfield Campus development focused on learning, skills development and education and includes the state-of-the-art School of Architecture and the Built Environment. Phase Two concentrated on the establishment of a new £17.5 million National Brownfield Institute, a world-class research centre providing expertise to develop modern methods of building through innovation and partnership with the construction industry, focusing on techniques to remediate and regenerate brownfield land. The GIC first phase proposes a further 11,148m² of commercial innovation floorspace over three discrete units designed to highly sustainable credentials. This space will create opportunities for business growth and start-ups around the epicentre of the National Centre for Sustainable Construction.
A further GIC phase will see development activity at the University of Wolverhampton Science Park, which is home to over 100 businesses in a diverse range of sectors. Existing occupiers include those in aerospace, agricultural technology, automotive, construction, information technology, life sciences, professional and business services, with an ever increasing and fast-growing demand for provision and development of additional commercial and occupier space. A Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing & Digital Innovation is proposed, comprising of incubator space and start-up units as a hub of digital economy and aerospace. It builds on the University of Wolverhampton’s ambitions to develop a Centre of Excellence for Digital Innovation in Smart Cities.
The development will complement innovation activities at Springfield Campus, accommodating demand for workshops, laboratories, offices and new commercial space. The proposals will stimulate wider regeneration along the Corridor acting as a catalyst for additional private sector investment, unlocking brownfield sites for sustainable and mixeduse development and improving the canal and overall connectivity.
PROMOTER AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of Wolverhampton (UoW) and City of Wolverhampton Council.
LOCATION
The Green Innovation Corridor initially links Wolverhampton’s key assets at the Springfield Campus with those at the University of Wolverhampton Science Park and introduces new development opportunities, incubation space, and improvements to the city’s green and blue networks.