Major business development planned for land
Disused grassland in Walsall could be transformed with offices and industrial units bringing new investment and jobs to the borough.
J B Properties 1 Limited wants to build itself a new headquarters along with five other units aimed at attracting an array of new businesses to land off Tempus Drive near a KFC and Junction 10 of the M6 motorway.
In their application, representatives said the development would bring investment and new jobs to the area and transform space which is currently overgrown grassland.
A decision on the application is expected to be made by Walsall Council planning officers in August.
Agents Stoas Architects said: “The social benefit of the proposed development will be delivered through the provision of jobs in the operational phase, including within the local community, resulting in increased employment and prosperity for local residents across multiple employment fields.
“This is in the context of the site allocation and the development of the proposed high end industrial buildings.
“During the construction of the project the proposal will also generate employment opportunities directly for contractors, and more broadly for manufacturers, suppliers and the associated supply chains.
“The development of the scheme will bring into use a currently vacant site within a designated high end industrial employment area in Walsall.
“This will result in an aesthetic improvement to the street scene along Tempus Drive and Wolverhampton Road; whilst providing multiple high end industrial units – a need that has been identified by Walsall Council.
“Without this proposal, and the significant associated capital investment, the site would offer no social or economic benefit that would otherwise be delivered by this development.
“The proposed high end industrial units and office provisions will provide incubators for future innovation and economic growth, with a variety of sizes appealing to an array of businesses.
“JB House, the associated workshop and external yard will provide a new purpose-built headquarters for a national employer, facilitating and enabling the growth ambitions of the business, and with it the employment opportunities this will generate.
“While this unit does not align entirely with the allocation, the employment offering the development this national headquarters will provide will be a net benefit to the local economy, and act as a catalyst for the remaining developments on this site.”
