Eyesore West Bromwich car park finally set for demolition
An eyesore car park in West Bromwich is finally set to be demolished after funds were made available by the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Queen Square car park in Bull Street will be demolished to make way for a mixture of homes, leisure and retail facilities, under new plans.
The combined authority will pay for the demolition work and contractors are expected on site within weeks, ahead of full demolition in the summer.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, chairman of the WMCA, said: "The critical thing about this car park is it was built in the 70s - it is hardly a thing of beauty.
"It was not very much used either so it was just like a blot on the landscape.
"We are bringing it down so new investment can come in.
"This is a classic where the market would have done nothing and the car park would have just sat here.
"We have got to intervene and make that happen, then private investment will come in behind it. That is the principle."
The four-storey car park was built in the 1970s but had fallen into disrepair over the past five years.
The upper levels and its lift became unusable, which forced the car park to partially close.
In October, the car park was finally closed to shoppers over safety concerns.
In November, Sandwell Council bid for a £1.3million grant from the WMCA for the demolition work.
A spokesman for the combined authority could not confirm the cost of the project as the demolition work will soon go out to tender.
But the spokesman said: "It will be a substantial figure."
Plans to demolish the car park date back to 2013 when separate plans were tabled to build an ice rink on the site.
These proposals ultimately fell through in 2016.
Sandwell Council leader Yvonne Davies said: "Sandwell Council is committed to driving prosperity across the borough.
"By demolishing a car park which is almost 50 years old and well past its prime, we’re creating new space for exciting developments.
"These will support a significant regeneration programme for West Bromwich town centre creating new opportunities for Sandwell."
It is not yet known how many homes will be built or what leisure or retail facilities are planned.
But Councillor Mike Bird, housing boss at WMCA, said: "Town centre living is something we need to encourage. When we have got people living in the town, people will use the town and the facilities that are there, not only on the retail side but on the leisure."
The funding was made available through a WMCA regeneration scheme aimed at improving town centres across the West Midlands.
Five town centres, including West Bromwich, have been put forward for funding.
The other four are Bilston, Dudley and Walsall.
