A Birmingham lifestyle on a Walsall Budget: £100 million masterplan to change face of town centre

It was a familiar sight in town and city centres across the region before the pandemic hit, now 15 months worth of Covid-inspired lockdowns have made a bad situation decidedly worse.

Few places have escaped the carnage caused by the pandemic, and anyone popping to the shops in recent weeks may well have found that stores that were there last time they ventured out have since disappeared.

Like elsewhere in the Black Country, Walsall town centre is plagued by empty units – a particularly sad sight in a spot once famed for having a proliferation of independent shops.

On Park Street over the past year, Thorntons shut down after the chocolate maker closed all of its UK shops.

KFC has also gone, with the old restaurant now one of more than a dozen vacant premises dotted along the town’s main drag. In the Saddlers Centre and Park Place it’s a similar story.

Pre-Covid, the town had lost its Marks & Spencer store, which still stands empty, while Debenhams in Old Square closed its doors for the final time last month.

When there is little on offer people stay away, resulting in disastrous consequences for the local economy.

It’s a vicious cycle that council chiefs are determined to break, with a masterplan in place to change the face of the town centre and get the good times rolling once again.

According to Councillor Adrian Andrew, Walsall Council’s deputy leader, the aim is to transform the central area into a hive of activity that doesn't simply focus on shopping.

He says building new homes in the town centre is a guaranteed way of increasing footfall, providing enough activities are on offer to keep people occupied.

He said: “With improved transport links, a wider retail and leisure offer in the town centre, we can get people back into Walsall and keep the pound local.

"Creating more living options is a big part of these plans.

“We want to attract people to come and live here by offering a Birmingham lifestyle on a Walsall budget.”

A £21.3 million Government funding boost via the Town Deal has already been secured, and Councillor Andrew reckons up to £100 million in private investment will be needed to turn the council’s plans into reality.

Already on the table is the Saddlers Quay scheme to transform two old leather factories at the top of Marsh Street near the New Art Gallery into 220 apartments.

This could also see the opening up of the walk way down to the railway station, which could itself be redeveloped in the future as visitor numbers rise.

Officers are also examining the possibility of creating a wider esplanade through to the bus station, giving the town centre a more "open plan" feel.

Meanwhile schemes submitted as part of the Town Fund bid include a 1,000 seater theatre, which bosses see as the “destination venue” that would bring people into the town centre in their droves.

Education is also seen as a key element, with a construction skills academy, an adult education centre and a digital skills hub lined up for the town centre, adding to an offer already including Walsall College and the under-construction Ladder School in George Street.

Active travel and connectivity between the town centre and other areas such as Bloxwich High Street are also being looked at, with the council planning to improve cycling and walking routes.

Councillor Andrew says the changes are not going to happen overnight, and it is likely that developments will take place over the next 20 years.

Manjit Jhooty, chair of the Town Deal Board, said the new funding will serve as a “catalyst” for further development in the town.

He said other parts of the country such as Shrewsbury had been looked at to see if there were “successes that Walsall can replicate”.

“This is a challenge for all of the Black Country, not just for Walsall,” he said. “The key agenda is economic growth for the town and making sure we create the right environment for our communities to grow.

“We want Walsall to be a place where retailers thrive, with jobs being created and education as the backbone.

“There is plenty of goodwill here. Now we have real hope.”