Work underway to build new homes on former industrial site in Wolverhampton
Published: Wednesday 24 Jul 2019
Work is underway to build 151 much-needed new homes at a former industrial site in Wolverhampton, thanks in part to a £770,000 grant from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
Leading developer Lovell Midlands is developing brownfield land in Steelhouse Lane, Monmore Green, with a £2.5 million scheme providing a mix of homes to buy or rent.
The 8.5 acre site named Saints Quarter, which has been lying derelict for more than a decade, is being brought back into use after the WMCA used funding to clean up the land and prepare it for development as part of its Housing Deal with Government.
L-R Stuart Penn, regional managing director for Lovell, Cllr Beverley Momenabadi from Wolverhampton City Council (Ettingshall) and Cllr Mike Bird, leader of Walsall Council and WMCA portfolio holder for housing and land
The WMCA has investment available to support new housing and commercial developments on previously used, brownfield land to deliver new homes and jobs for local communities.
The funding is part of the WMCA's ‘brownfield first' approach to help relieve pressure on the Green Belt.
Cllr Mike Bird, leader of Walsall Council and WMCA portfolio holder for housing and land, said: This development is a great example of how the WMCA is breathing new life into former industrial land by clearing the way for new homes and businesses.
It is a key part of the WMCA's wider programme to advance the delivery of housing within the Black Country, giving local people better opportunities for a good job and an affordable home.
The funding is part of our ‘brownfield first' approach to help relieve pressure on the green belt, as the West Midlands needs to build more than 215,000 new homes by 2031 to meet future housing demand and population growth
The Lovell scheme will provide a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses, including 89 open market and 62 affordable homes from Walsall-based housing provider whg.
Homes England has also partnered with Lovell to provide the new homes in Wolverhampton, as part of the Government Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016-2021.
Lovell regional managing director Stuart Penn said: We are so pleased to have started work at Saints Quarter and are thrilled we are able to provide a flexible, modern and innovative partnership solution for open market and affordable housing.
Thanks to our valued and long-standing partnership with whg and the grant funding from WMCA and Homes England, we are able to deliver a housing solution which will provide much-needed housing to this thriving area of Wolverhampton, bringing our high-quality homes for exceptional value
The site has had a number of former uses, most notably as a brickworks and latterly as a metals factory, which closed in 1997. The land was subsequently cleared and lay empty since 2006.
Bordered by Steelhouse Lane to the west, Cable Street to the south and the Birmingham Canal to the east, Saints Quarter will provide a flourishing new community with excellent road links to Wolverhampton and Birmingham.
City of Wolverhampton Council cabinet member for city assets and housing, Cllr Peter Bilson, said: This is another major development site supporting the regeneration of Bilston.
We can now look forward to seeing more new homes this summer, in addition to over 400 homes already being developed at Bilston Urban Village.
Saints Quarter will provide greater home choice for the local area, as well as continuing to support the delivery of our housing growth plans for the city.
This development means more and better homes being delivered for residents and supports the extensive investment already being made by City of Wolverhampton Council with our investors in new housing, leisure, commercial and transport developments in and around Bilston