Blow for Wolverhampton Interchange project as car park bought by rival bidder

The land in Corn Hill at the side of the railway station forms a crucial part of the project but, in a setback for city chiefs, it has now been bought by a firm wanting to keep it as a car park.

Sources say the move may break planning laws and that council bosses might now battle to take control of the site.

If it is lost, it could jeopardise some of the 1,269 jobs expected to be created as a result of the redevelopment.

Education and residential development, along with new shops, are planned for the area around Corn Hill.

Conservative opposition leader on the council, Wendy Thompson, called for answers over the loss of the site and what it will mean for the overall scheme.

A report from the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership revealed the Corn Hill site, near the entrance to the station, had been lost after project bosses were ‘outbid by a third party’.

Wolverhampton council said it would ‘seek to work with the site owners’ and that many of the planned jobs would still be created.

Bosses said there were no current plans to pursue a Compulsory Purchase Order, which could force the owners to give up the site.

Councillor Thompson said: “It is a pity that there should be another setback regarding getting this station up and running. We need to be asking some questions.”

A council spokesman said: “There is no immediate desire to pursue a CPO for the site. In the first instance, we will seek to work with the site owners to bring forward a scheme in compliance with the adopted City Centre Area Action Plan.

“Many of the job opportunities cited by the Black Country LEP will be created in the city as the Interchange masterplan continues to develop.”

It was revealed last year that the cost of the train station redevelopment and metro extension had rocketed by more than £23m.