Key workers will be able to customise homes if derelict Wolverhampton health centre transformed
A former training centre will be transformed into a health and wellbeing centre and 34 affordable homes for key workers, who will be able to design parts of their own home.
Wolverhampton Council and the NHS are working together to create the multi-million pound project which will give residents in the north of the city access to a health centre with new mental health services.
The Oxley development is the first in the region to benefit from the new Government home-building scheme Self and Custom which will allow new residents to customise their new home.
Wolverhampton Council cabinet approved the scheme which will also solve persistent problems of anti-social behaviour on the site.
Cabinet member for housing and city assets Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal said: "I am really excited about this project and excited for the people of Oxley and wider Wolverhampton too.
"This will be a first for Wolverhampton and the Black Country and will be a flagship development for the region. The people of Oxley will get a state-of-the-art health and centre which will improve the mental health and wellbeing of people."
He added: "I am also pleased this project will create 171 construction jobs on site and five apprenticeships. And we are giving key workers who cannot afford to get on the housing ladder a chance to help design their own home through the Government Self and Custom programme."
Planning permission has yet to be applied for and the council says it is proceeding carefully to avoid money being wasted.
The report passed by the cabinet said: "The paper seeks approval to progress the capital project but not until obtaining outline planning consent, securing grant funding, achieving cost certainty from market tenders, securing leases with health care tenants and a pre-sale agreement with a registered provider for the new homes.
"These conditions will protect the council by reducing the financial exposure until cost certainty, rental income and grant funding are secured."
Combining the health centre with new homes will give the development a sounder financial footing and give the NHS and the council the opportunity to apply for several grants and qualify for more funding.
The report said: "Given the priority status of a new health and wellbeing facility in the Oxley area of North Wolverhampton, a feasibility exercise has been undertaken. It was agreed that the council and Wolverhampton CCG would jointly provide initial project resource to complete a feasibility study and work with interested parties to undertake early design work and a development appraisal.
"This work more recently brought forward the opportunity to add residential accommodation to the site which would provide additional outputs, offering much needed new affordable homes and attract grant funding for abnormal costs."
Deputy leader of the council Councillor Stephen Simkins said: "This is a really exciting project and I know members in Oxley have been really positive about this, developing this brownfield site will also stop the anti-social problems around the site."
