Wolverhampton Council identifies 33 sites which are ripe for redevelopment: here is the list in full

More than 30 sites across Wolverhampton city centre have been identified as ripe for regeneration in the council’s new vision for the future.

The plan, approved by the council’s cabinet this week, divided the city into 10 distinct regeneration areas, and identified 33 potential development sites.

Council leader Councillor Stephen Simkins said the plans could lead to the construction of 6,750 new homes in the city centre, as well as the long-term transformation to create a more vibrant and inclusive core.

The plan identified the Queen Square and St Peter’s areas as the ‘civic, retail and cultural heart of the city’, with Darlington Street, St George’s, canalside, Chapel Ash and Graiseley areas earmarked for mixed-use and residential growth. The area around the railway and bus stations, the former Springfield Brewery site and Molineux are described as ‘strategically important innovation, education, transport and visitor economy locations’.

The council said the plan sought make use of vacant and underutilised land and buildings, protecting and reusing heritage assets, and strengthening links between the city centre core and surrounding neighbourhoods.

It said the plan would be subject to regular updates in response to the views of both the public and businesses throughout the year.

The 33 sites identified by the council include the Smithgate site including the former retail market, where work has now begun on plans to build 1,070 flats across 12 acres of land. Also included is Qualcast Road in Horseley Fields, where the first 30 homes on the Wavensmere Canalside South development have recently been completed.

Other notable sites include the vacant former Beatties department store and the old eye infirmary - where redevelopment plans appear to have stalled - and the former Express & Star building in Queen Street, Tower Street and Castle Street, which is subject to a mixed-use redevelopment.

Wolverhampton University’s School of Art, which was this year granted Grade II listed status after the university announced plans to demolish it, is also included, as is the former Sainsbury’s store and St George’s church site, which is the subject of proposals for a residential-led redevelopment by Manchester-based Capital & Centric.

Bell Street, which had previously been earmarked as the site for the proposed ‘box space’, Jack Hayward Way, which is occupied by Asda on one side, and Molineux on the other, and Wolverhampton University’s Randall Lines hall of residence are also on the list.

Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of Wolverhampton Council, said: “Following feedback from the public consultation, this plan reflects the needs of the community, supports priorities for growth and investment, and builds on earlier engagement with residents, businesses and investors about what matters most.

“Our Future City Centre Plan is more than just a vision for physical transformation, it is a blueprint for how we will create a city centre that is vibrant, inclusive, and fit for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

“We want the city centre to be a thriving urban hub and destination of choice that attracts investment, supports businesses, celebrates creativity, supports enterprise, and enhances quality of life for all who live, work, study and visit here.”

The full list of sites is:

1. Smithgate

2. St George’s (former Sainsbury’s)

3. Canalside South

4. Lower Horseley Fields/Union Mill

5. Springfield Campus

6. Brewer’s Yard

7. Park Brewery

8. Bell Street

9. Corn Hill

10. Cambridge Street

11. Cross Street

12. North Faulkland Street

13. Stafford Street

14. St Peter’s

15. Horseley Fields

16. Former Eye Infirmary

17. Dobbs Street

18. Bell Place

19 Bailey Street (South)

20 Banana Yard (yard at railway station)

21. Beatties

22. Express & Star

23. Magistrates Court

24. Temple Street/Cleveland Street

25. Qualcast Road

26. Jack Hayward Way

27. Randall Lines House

28. School of Art

29. Land at Waterloo Road

30. Sack Works, Steam Mill & Mill Street Depot

31. Nos. 53-55 Lichfield Street

32. Broad Street

33. Bailey Street (North)