Big £30m Morrisons taking shape
The new supermarket that is a huge part of a Black Country town's multi-million pound regeneration is rapidly forging ahead.
In the space of just a few months, Willenhall's renowned former Yale lockworks has been transformed from a barren plot of land into the shell of the superstore, with more than 150 workers busily putting the giant structure in place.
Visitors to the town have been amazed at how quickly the new £30million Morrisons development, set to create around 300 jobs, is springing up.
The roof on the grey and yellow-trimmed building has now been completed, with yellow-jacketed workers now concentrating on putting the internal walls in place. Work on the adjoining petrol station is set to start in the coming weeks.
Recruitment for managers at the Wood Street store has already got underway, with some 189 hopefuls picking up application forms for 45 management posts.
General recruitment for other general posts is set to get underway in the Autumn.
Willenhall South representative Carl Creaney is pleased to see such quick progress being made at the Morrisons site.
He said: "It's amazing how quickly it is going up. As long as it's creating jobs in the area, I'm happy. This is what people want to see.
"They want a bigger choice of what to buy, which perhaps the town doesn't offer at the moment."
The scheme, which supermarket bosses reckon is "well on track", will also include a 542-space car park and a mixture of family homes and flats.
New footpaths will be created to the town's central shopping zone, while a new link road will be created between Walsall Street and Wood Street to ease congestion.
A £40,000 public artwork, The Kindnesses of Willenhall, is also being designed and will adorn one of the store's outside walls.
The store is expected to open early next year.
