Selling agent appointed for £150m Wolverhampton Canalside South development

The national new homes specialist will be registering interest for the three-bedroom houses, ahead of them being released for sale in January 2026.

Work started in early 2025 to redevelop the 17.5-acre former British Steel and the Crane Foundry site, located off Qualcast Road in Wolverhampton city centre, into more than 530 energy-efficient homes, complemented by a range of new business and community amenities. 

Already, more than £20 million has been spent on land assembly, remediation, site enabling and groundworks on the industrial site, which had stood empty since the collapse of British Steel in 2019.

Phase one of Canalside South comprises 153 contemporary houses, with the first home handovers scheduled for quarter two of 2026. 

The development is being delivered in three phases – progressing sequentially from east to west – to minimise disruption to the surrounding community, with the full regeneration and build programme projected to complete by summer 2030.

Donna Smith, sales director for Wavensmere Homes, said: “There has been an exceptionally high level of interest for this scheme even before we commenced construction. This £150m project will have a transformational impact on Wolverhampton’s city living market and open up new routes along the canal into the city core.

“Connells is the ideal selling agent for us to work with because of the team’s knowledge of the local second-hand market, as well as new homes. The Wolverhampton branch is the highest performing branch across the country, registering 250 new applicants every week. We’re thrilled they will be qualifying and advising prospective purchasers in the lead up to January’s sales launch.”

Established through a partnership between Wolverhampton Council and the Canal & River Trust, the Canalside South site is moments from the transport interchange and fronts onto both the Wyrley and Essington Canal and the Wolverhampton Branch of the Birmingham Main Line Canal. 

Katy Harwood, divisional director – land and new homes for Connells, who was born and bred in Wolverhampton, said: “Canalside South enjoys a prominent, superbly connected city centre location, so it’s no surprise this scheme is creating an incredibly exciting moment for Wolverhampton. 

"Wavensmere is reimagining the railway arches into atmospheric commercial units, there will be seven acres of landscaped open space, and the 533 new homes will enjoy a superb setting alongside the historic waterway.

“Seeing the footings of the first houses already in place is fantastic. 

"Train passengers travelling between Birmingham and Wolverhampton get an elevated view from the arches that transect the site, so we’re expecting a lot of interest from commuters. We’re building a database of people to notify as soon as the three-bedroom houses are placed onto the market, which will be done on a first-come, first-served basis.”

A total of 378 two-and three-bedroom townhouses are being built to target an EPC-A rated specification, together with 145 one-and two-bedroom apartments; while 54 houses, together with 80 apartments, will have waterside views. 

The disused railway arches on the site are being transformed into 1,338sqm (14,400 sq ft) of lettable commercial space.

All homes are being future-proofed with electric only heating systems. A range of technologies will be utilised across the development, consisting of air source heat pumps, solar panels and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR). There will also be EV charging to each house or parking space, alongside an array of EV chargers for visitors. 

Designed by Glancy Nicholls Architects, Wavensmere’s low-rise Canalside South development is one of the biggest regeneration projects of its kind in the region. 

The overall vision for the Wolverhampton Canalside masterplan is the delivery of around 1,000 homes to meet the city and wider region’s housing needs, with sustainability and place-making at its heart.