The multi-million pound transformation of a rundown Black Country area has been halted – after it was revealed the developer behind the project is shedding almost 80 jobs.
Haslam Homes is the latest building company to fall victim to the housing slump and will be closing its Midlands office in days – leaving 77 workers out of a job. The move, which one employee described today as “devastating”, means that the much-anticipated development of Blakenhall Gardens in Wolverhampton has now been put on hold.
It has been announced just weeks after the firm unveiled its proposals for the once notorious site.
Haslam proposed creating nine new shops with 36 contemporary apartments above, as well as more than 100 two and three-storey houses with a large communal garden for residents, along with a total of nearly 300 parking spaces and a new roads pattern.
The project has been in the pipeline for years in a bid to bring the jaded area and shopping precinct, which fronts Dudley Road next to the 17-storey Phoenix Rise tower block, into a new era.
One worker, who has been based at Haslam’s Midlands office in Kegworth, Leicestershire, for more than five years, said: “It is devastating. It is so sad because it has been a wonderful place to work. The work will pass to another office but projects like the one in Wolverhampton will be on hold for a while,” he added.
Peter Hindley, managing director of Haslam Homes Ltd, said: “It is with great regret that, due to the extreme and rapid downturn throughout the housing market, we have been forced to make 77 redundancies across all of our regional offices.
“This has been a very tough decision to make.
“We have looked at every way possible to try and avoid redundancies, but unfortunately, because of the current market conditions it is impossible to sustain our staffing levels,” he added.
The news comes after it emerged work to transform Springfield Brewery had also been stalled due to the housing slump. Developer Taylor Wimpey will not start work until next year.
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