Developers behind Wolverhampton’s flagship i54 development today revealed they have more than tripled the size of the first phase of the scheme.

The move has been made in a bid to make it more attractive to investors. Regeneration agency Advantage West Midlands has announced it wants to increase the first part of the development from 15,000 square metres to 50,000 square metres.

The move comes after ground work was completed in late 2008 and developers said they would spend the next 18 months working “behind the scenes” before building work started.

It lodged a planning application to make the change with Wolverhampton City Council and South Staffordshire Council and say it would trigger an £11million investment in the road network to improve access to the sprawling 220-acre site off the A449 Stafford Road.

The land is set to be transformed into a business hub, creating 6,000 jobs. Today bosses said i54 which will be a mixture of office and distribution was still a “critical site” for the region.

Regeneration chief Steve Boyes said: “A 50,000 square metre site is a good-sized chunk to get developers to come forward.”

Improvements are likely to be made to the access from junction two of the M54.