Wolverhampton box space: Council identifies new preferred location

A car park at the heart of Wolverhampton’s civic quarter has been identified as the preferred location for the city’s long-awaited ‘box space’.

St Peter’s car park, off Wulfruna Street, is earmarked for the development in a new report to the council’s cabinet.

It comes after previous schemes for Bell Street, and later the city’s former market square, failed to materialise.

But the report, by director of city economy Ian Fegan, admitted there had been little interest from developers wishing to take on the project following a consultation in June this year.

It proposed offering offering the site on the open market, with a 25-year lease and the offer of a £5.5 million up-front grant from the council for its construction.

Mr Fegan said St Peter’s car park was chosen for its proximity to Molineux, Wolverhampton University and the Civic Hall.

He said the 24-hour car park at the Civic Centre and the location inside the ring road were also important factors in the decision.

He added that there would need to be measures to offset the loss of the car park.

Mr Fegan said the council invited ‘expressions of interest’ in June, as part of a process to find a private partner to design, build and operate the site.

He said the council received three responses, but only one met its requirement for a ‘design, build and operate’ partner through a full tender.

“The two other responses expressed and interest in only operating a box space, requiring the council to design and build the site, including the necessary capital investment,” said Mr Fegan.

“As a result of the limited response, and the findings of specialist alternative advice, it was agreed that alternative delivery options for the development of box space would be explored, and plans to start a full procurement process paused.”

The council first announced plans for a ‘box park’ in the city in the summer of 2021, after securing £15.7 million from the Government’s Future High Street Fund.

But after identifying a site between Bell Street and Cleveland Street, demolishing a row of shops and buying an adjacent building to make way for the scheme, the council revealed that the site was no longer considered suitable, and was looking at alternative sites.

Box spaces, which often use shipping-style containers to house pop-up food-and-drink sellers, are becoming increasingly popular in town and city centres as a means of supporting independent businesses, driving evening economy growth and creating vibrant destinations to attract younger and family audiences.

In March the council set aside up to £5.5 million from its revolving capital investment fund to get the project started. The chosen developer would then pay back the council’s investment through a 25-year lease, while also attracting up to half-a-million visitors a year, said a spokesman for the council.

At the time the council said several potential sites had been shortlisted, but the council was keen to hear from prospective operators on which council-owned sites would work best for their proposition.

The report will be considered at a meeting of the cabinet on Wednesday next week.