Wolverhampton canalside ‘village’ among first of its type in the UK
A £65 million plan to build 366 luxury homes on derelict former industrial canalside land in Wolverhampton will be among the UK's first low-carbon neighbourhoods.
The site, at Lower Horseley Fields, forms phase one of the new ‘Canalside South’ project, restoring a series of empty factory units where the Wyrley and Essington Canal meets the Birmingham Canal Navigations main line.
Stretching over five acres of brownfield land just outside the city centre, the completed development will consist of a mixture of 1,200 new townhouses and apartments, forming a self-contained ‘village’.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has unveiled a region-wide programme to build a series of ‘net zero neighbourhoods’, utilising cycle paths, green spaces, better insulation and the use of LED lighting and solar panels.
As part of the work, a six-mile stretch of Wolverhampton’s canals has been fitted with 1,000 solar-powered lights to enable walkers and cyclists to navigate the towpath safely after dark.
The sunlight-powered lights – which light up after dusk – were installed ten metres apart and run all the way along the Birmingham Main Line Canal from Coseley to the bottom of the Wolverhampton Lock Flight.
They then stretch all the way along the Wyrley and Essington Canal from Wolverhampton Railway Station to Bentley Bridge Retail Park at Wednesfield.
An artist’s impressions of how the canalside development will look show a promenade, public open spaces and new pedestrian access to the canal towpath, which form a central part of the plans.
The Canal and River Trust and WMCA have both been involved in talks on the project with Placefirst and Wolverhampton City Council.
Global built environment consultancy Arup is the programme’s first private sector partner, working in Wolverhampton. The pilot programme – a UK first – will help tackle climate change, reduce fuel poverty and support the region’s ambition to be net zero by 2041.
The canalside development is being undertaken by Manchester-based Placefirst, one of the UK’s leading built-to-rent property developers.
A spokesman for Wolverhampton Council said: “The canal network and towpaths play an important role in facilitating a more accessible city centre by providing a motor vehicle-free environment in which to travel, so widening travel choices for cycling and walking.”
