Westside development: Wolverhampton project to create 'thousands' of jobs

The newly unveiled Westside leisure project, to include restaurants and a multiplex cinema, will create hundreds of new jobs, and thousands will be needed during the building work.

Philip Leech, property director at Westside developers Urban and Civic, says a smaller but similar scheme in Darlington has created around 250 jobs.

He also said the development of Westside would need more than 1,000 construction workers over the five year duration of the building project.

And Wolverhampton council's economy chief, Councillor John Reynolds, said: "We expect the number of jobs to be created by the Westside development to be in the high hundreds and during construction this figure will be into the thousands.

"It will be a significant boost for our economy and Westside is another example of how we continue to work relentlessly with city partners, developers and employers to ensure local people can benefit from future opportunities."

Even more building jobs will be created by other upcoming projects around the city centre.

Over the next two years the city's down-at-heel railway station will be replaced as part of a transport Interchange project that will also see it linked up with the Metro tram system.

And Wolverhampton council is preparing to go to the property market later this year to find a developer for its Southside homes scheme.

It will have high hopes of success after attracting 11 top companies to compete for work on Westside.

More homes will be created along the waterways beside the railway station as part of the Canalside development as well as by the Home and Communities Agency which is now the owner of the former Royal Hospital site– set to house a new Tesco store before the supermarket giant pulled out last year.

And Wolverhampton council has spent £13.1m to buy the five-acre former Sainsbury's site in St George's Parade to ensure it is developed to fit in with other projects around the city centre.