£25m revamp of Wolverhampton city centre revealed today
Ambitious plans to revive Wolverhampton city centre were unveiled today with plans for new offices, shops, multi-storey car park, 1,300 homes and a replacement for its rundown markets.
The proposals, which involve a £25 million investment by Wolverhampton City Council, are part of an appeal to developers to pump in hundreds of millions of pounds of private investment.
It comes 18 months after plans for £300 million shopping centre Summer Row were formally scrapped after more than six years in the planning.
The proposals include:
A new 460 space multi storey car park to replace the open air Fold Street car park.
A business district with new offices and homes along Ring Road St Marks.
An overhaul of the Mander Centre to allow for bigger shops in the hope of attracting major retailers.
Revived plans for a new £15 million 133-room hotel to replace the eyesore Fox Hotel that was demolished earlier this year.
A landscaped park and new modern building for the city's indoor and outdoor markets, with a pedestrian link to a planned Sainsbury's superstore on Raglan Street.
A new cinema or other leisure buildings, along with restaurants, in Victoria Street to replace derelict shops.
A cheaper version of the planned revamp of the city's rail station, which includes a refurbished multi-storey car park and a 100-room hotel.
Charles Green, director for education and enterprise at the city council, said: "We want to create a new business district within the city centre.
"We've looked at what we can do and a lot of the land is under-utilised. Market Square is pretty desolate but with Sainsbury's coming in the whole area will be changed."
Councillor Peter Bilson, deputy leader of the city council, said: "Gone are the days of major public sector investment.
"Our city centre will be transformed with private sector cash which is why, over the past 18 months, this vision has been shaped with the direct input of developers, agents, landowners and major businesses."
