Major new development next to M54 could create 2,800 jobs
Thousands of new jobs could be created after plans to redevelop a former munitions factory next to the M54 were given the green light.
Eight units are proposed for the former Royal Ordnance Factory land at Featherstone, just north of Wolverhampton, which will provide a range of business uses including industrial, storage and distribution.
The 128-acre site, which is one mile away from the i54 business park which is home to a Jaguar Land Rover engine plant, will include a hub for food and drink and have the capacity to employ 2,800 people.
The application approved by South Staffordshire Council’s planning committee includes plans for a new link road to provide access to the site from the A449. This will cross the West Coast Mainline via a bridge and form a new junction onto the A449, which then joins onto Junction 2 of the M54.
The site is next door to HMP Featherstone and had been considered for an open prison but those plans were shelved earlier this year.
A report to the planning committee said: “This is a major development proposal for mixed, flexible employment uses within the established Strategic Employment Site of the former ROF.
“At this stage it is envisaged that the proposed development will be delivered in phases moving across the site from west to east. It is intended to construct the link road and to provide some 77,000 sq m of floorspace – circa 50 per cent of the proposed scheme – as Phase 1, to include the building of the proposed hub, and for this to be ready for occupation in late 2022.
“Following the completion of Phase 1, the second (final) phase will then be progressed with the end date for the occupation of this final phase being late 2024.”
The site was allocated as a Strategic Employment Site in the council’s adopted Site Allocations Document 2018.
But district councillor Wendy Sutton, who represents the Brewood and Coven ward, objected to the plans.
She called on the committee to defer its decision on the application to allow for further consultation with residents of Coven Heath and raised concerns about an increase in traffic congestion on the A449.
County councillor Mark Sutton also objected to the plans, highlighting the impact on nearby residents and inadequate bus service currently in place.
Featherstone and Shareshill ward member councillor Bob Cope called for the construction management plan to avoid sending construction traffic through Featherstone.
He also hoped future bus routes would include the village and employment opportunities would be channelled through the South Staffordshire Work Clubs.
Planning permission was granted subject to a series of conditions, including the applicants entering into a Unilateral Undertaking with Staffordshire County Council to provide a public transport services contribution of £446,000 for bus services to the site to provide a link with Wolverhampton and Cannock.
South Staffordshire Council is bidding for £10.4 million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund to help meet the costs of the access road.
A South Staffordshire Council spokesperson said: “Whilst the site is surrounded by the strategic road network it lacks an access onto the site from those roads and the developer is unable to fund the entire cost of the road without making the entire development unviable so the vast majority of the bid is to part fund that road.
“This in turn will unlock the development of up to 1.7 million sq ft of brand new high quality employment accommodation capable of accommodating up to (around) 2,800 gross FTE (full-time equivalent) jobs within the industrial and logistics sector.
“The other part of the bid is to provide some community benefit in the local area.
“(This) includes the enhancement of what was to be a green buffer between the site and the village of Featherstone into a community park area accessible and usable by the public, funding towards a new children’s play area in Featherstone and tree planting along the new access road from the A449 to the site to create a more ‘boulevard’ feel and soften the visual impact of the new road.”
