Abandoned buildings to be seized as council promises to breathe new life into area
Decrepit Willenhall buildings which have sat empty for decades will be seized as bosses vowed the latest plan to transform the area is not another ‘false start’.
Walsall Council’s cabinet formally agreed to use Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers if necessary to buy long-term empty properties and bring them back into use.
The work is part of the 10-year Willenhall Framework Plan aimed at breathing new life into the area.
Earlier this year, the authority was awarded £20 million in Levelling Up Fund cash which will deliver Phase One of the plan - to see 106 new homes built at Moat Street and Villiers Street along with highways improvements.
A total of 40 empty properties have been identified by the council to be acquired through CPO, although it is still hoped they can be bought through negotiation with owners.
Walsall Council deputy leader Adrian Andrew said: “This is a very important step forward, not only for Willenhall but for this council and administration.
“I want to thank all the many officers involved in the process to really put Willenhall at the forefront of our transformation of the borough.
“It’s very much been neglected over time with a lot of false starts. This is not a false start.
“We’ve secured £20 million of Levelling Up funds on the back of this masterplan that this administration has delivered.
“It shows we are serious about derelict sites and we will make sure these sites are bought back into use.
“This is linked to the Walsall Borough Plan and our brownfield-first approach to protect our precious green belt across all of the borough."
Councillor Andrew went on to say: “It also shows this administration is taking transforming Willenhall very seriously indeed and making a positive impact on the environment by removing these derelict buildings and bringing them back into use for probably the first time in 30 years.
“This is very much a new approach by taking these CPOs and taking on landowners who simply won’t work with the authority or developers to bring their sites forward.
“We have done CPOs before with separate units for highway schemes but this council has never, I believe, taken on a compulsory purchase of this size before.
“Hopefully it doesn’t come to that and we will be able to negotiate with the landowners to bring forward these sites for a bright future for Willenhall.”
