Milestone reached at Wavensmere’s regenerative £150m Wolverhampton Canalside South development

It has been 12 months since construction first started getting underway on the former British Steel site and Crane Foundry site, which the housebuilder is transforming into a new city living housing development in a five-year regeneration project.

Work started on site in early 2025, with over £20m already invested on land assembly and remediation, site enabling, groundworks and construction. 

The first 120 two- and three-bedroom houses are at various stages of construction, with roofs being installed from February, and houses expected to be ready for for occupation this summer - with completions scheduled to take place every month from June 2026 onwards.

Birmingham-headquartered business Wavensmere is transforming the site, which had lain derelict for many years, into 533 energy-efficient homes - complemented by a range of new commercial and community amenities. 

James Dickens, managing director of Wavensmere Homes, said: “The demand for the houses and apartments at Canalside South is unprecedented, so our production team and specialist contractors are regenerating and redeveloping this site in the most efficient timeframe. After six months of intensive groundworks to prepare the land, the construction programme has been progressing at pace. 60 houses will be completed and occupied by the end of 2026.

“Close to 2,000 people have already registered their interest for one of these homes. We will launch the development in the coming months, to enable purchasers to choose their preferred plot at the off-plan stage and get their mortgage in place.”

The Canalside South site was established through a partnership between Wolverhampton Council and the Canal & River Trust, and is located off Qualcast Road, close to the transport interchange and fronting onto the Wyrley and Essington Canal and the Wolverhampton Branch of the Birmingham Main Line Canal.

Councillor Chris Burden, cabinet member for city development, jobs and skills at Wolverhampton Council, said: “The last time I visited this site, it was in the groundworks stage. Having a tour with the site team to see the progress and walk along the roof level of the first terraces of houses was wonderful.

“We could not be more delighted with how our chosen developer for this site, Wavensmere Homes, has brought this scheme forward. By the end of the summer, there will be over 100 residents living in these energy efficient new homes – on a brownfield site that had previously been derelict for many years.

“This is one of the largest new housing developments in the Midlands, creating hundreds of jobs for local people, and shows how the council - working collaboratively with the private sector -  is making a real difference for city residents.”

Wolverhampton Canalside South is being delivered in three phases – progressing sequentially from east to west – to minimise disruption to the surrounding community, with 153 homes set to be completed within the first phase of the development.

The development is one of the biggest regeneration projects of its kind in the region.

Designed by Glancy Nicholls Architects, the low-rise scheme emulates the surrounding conservation area and maximises the canalside setting. On completion, it will include seven acres of green space and open up a new pedestrian route to the city – reducing the previous walk time by 20 minutes – and igniting new investment into a commercial corridor.

More than 130 homes will have direct waterside views. 

All homes are being future-proofed with electric only heating systems, air source heat pumps, solar panels and EV charging.

Wavensmere is also reanimating the disused railway arches on the site into 14,400 sq ft of lettable commercial space.