Apartments plan for Victorian factory site in Wolverhampton city centre

The historic Eagle Works building on the corner of Great Brickkiln Street and Alexandra Street, close to the city centre, is now largely empty except for an artists’ studio at the front and a car repair workshop to the rear.

Since it was built more than 100 years ago, the three-storey property has been home to the Reliance Hemp and Flax Mill and also housed a mattress and textile factory, a bicycle factory and a brass and gun metal foundry.

Much of the building, which was locally listed in 2001, is unoccupied and falling into disrepair, with the upper floors infested with rodents.

Eagle Works Wolverhampton Ltd has now applied to convert the premises into a mixture of self-contained one, two and three-bedroom apartments and studio flats.

The council’s cabinet member for city assets and housing, Councillor Jacqueline Sweetman, said: “We welcome this planning application for much-needed new homes in our city.

“It not only proposes to sensitively bring this important heritage building back into use but will also breathe new life into the area.

“More and better homes for our residents, and the jobs they generate, remains a key priority as we look to relight our city in our recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Eagle Works is located approximately a third of a mile from the city centre, close to Sainsbury’s in Raglan Street, near Penn Road, and The Gym Wolverhampton adjacent to the supermarket.

The application is for 38 two-bedroom apartments, five one-bedroom apartments, four studio flats and one three-bedroom unit. CCTV in all communal areas is also included.

Location

In addition, plans allow for 45 parking spaces at the rear of the building with vehicle access from both Great Brickkiln Street and Alexandra Street, as well as two additional entrances at the back of the car park.

In a statement accompanying the plans, Andy Law of Sedgley-based architectural services and development consultants Complete Design, added: “The building requires a complete refurbishment due to regular maintenance not being carried out since it’s been vacant.

“Due to the location of the site and recent developments locally, we believe that the building couldn’t be fully used for commercial purposes.

“There is very limited parking and also residential properties nearby which a commercial use would impact greatly.

“We also believe this is the reason why the majority of the building has been vacant for many years, as potential tenants have realised that their needs wouldn’t be met,” he said.

“This proposal would bring the building back into complete use and safeguard its future. With this in mind, we are urging the local authority to support the development and secure the future of this historic building.”

A statement from transport planners THaT Consultancy added: “Not only will the proposed residential development generate fewer vehicle numbers overall, but the number of heavy goods vehicles and other commercial vehicles generated by the site will be significantly reduced.”

Wolverhampton Council’s planning committee is due to make a decision on the application in the near future.