£20m Wolverhampton build will bring 400 jobs
More than 400 jobs could be created as a derelict part of Wolverhampton is brought to life in a £20million development.
The land by Bentley Bridge retail park has been dormant for 10 years.
Two firms have teamed up to purchase the Wednesfield Way site, which has been earmarked to be a high-specification warehouse and logistics centre.]
Council chiefs welcomed the proposals, which represent the latest in a long line of big redevelopment projects in the city.
Online sports firm Wiggle is opening its headquarters in Bilston in a move expected to create 600 jobs, while the Mander Centre is getting a new Debenhams store in a £30m revamp.
A new Steve Morgan-backed £6m youth zone is nearing completion, the old Sunbeamland site will soon be transformed into 100 homes and a £10m office and leisure block is opening by the bus station.
The 18-acre Wednesfield site already has planning permission for 400,000sq ft of warehouse space.
It will be renamed as Pantheon Park and has been jointly purchased by investor Bridges Ventures and commercial property firm Stoford.
The partners said they were already in talks with a number of potential occupiers.
Dominic Stokes, director of Birmingham-based Stoford, said: "We are in no doubt that this site will bring enormous benefits to the area when it is fully operational.
"Pantheon Park represents a rare opportunity for an ambitious logistics company looking to move to the region or expand its existing operations to have a high-specification build-to-suit warehouse on prime industrial land."
Guy Bowden, acquisitions director at Bridges, said: "By reclaiming this valuable land we can help to meet the clear shortfall in supply of high-quality warehouse space locally, creating hundreds of jobs and hopefully contributing to the regeneration of the area in the process."
The potential 400-plus jobs would all be permanent positions, while bosses said there would be temporary posts created while the site is being developed.
Wolverhampton City Council strategic director Tim Johnson said: "We welcome these ambitious proposals, which should transform an empty site into a thriving warehouse and logistical centre, creating hundreds of jobs in the process."
"Major developments like this, as well as the recent relocation of Wiggle to Bilston, new city centre office developments and the continuing expansion of i54, send out the message that Wolverhampton is open for business."
The site is opposite Bentley Bridge, where work has just finished creating new units ranging from 5,000sq ft to 33,000sq ft, again for potential future investment.
