£1.5m Wolverhampton Aldi supermarket deal agreed by council - here's where the discount store is due to open

Wolverhampton Council has confirmed it has sold the site of the former Nelson Mandela House in Pendeford, Wolverhampton, to discount supermarket chain Aldi for £1,510,000.

The council agreed to knock down the former care home in 2016 as part of cost-cutting measures and was among the few remaining care homes to be run by the local authority.

It was demolished alongside three other care homes as part of a move to save £2.6 million.

This came despite criticism from Unison and a petition to save the building which attracted more than 5,600 signatures.

The council demolished the building in 2016 with the land deemed ‘surplus to requirements’ and primed for sale at the start of 2023.

The sale to Aldi was confirmed earlier this month.

In 2023, the council said the site had been declared a higher ‘level three’ flood risk by the Environment Agency – which made the land unsuitable for housing.

The land neighbours an existing Morrisons supermarket and Pendeford Health Centre.

At the time, a report by the council recommending the land was sold said: “The land could be retained and disposed of on a leasehold basis, but this option would only generate a revenue income stream and not a capital receipt.

“In addition, there would be significant costs associated with bringing the property up to a marketable standard.

“The site could also be retained for operational use however, following a consultation, no internal operational use has been identified.

“The council has already explored the option of developing the site for residential use, but due to it having a flood risk assessment rating of three, this renders it unviable.

“The sale of the land provides purchasers with the opportunity to bring this brownfield site back into use in a way that will benefit the local economy.”