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WMCA and council joint venture strikes 750-home deal with water company
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has bought a huge ex-industrial site expected to deliver 750 homes through a joint venture with Sandwell Council.
The combined authority said the old sewage works site, which has been purchased from the property development arm of water company Severn Trent, is equivalent to more than 32 football pitches and has been derelict for decades.
Midlands Land Portfolio, Severn Trent’s firm, owned just under half the overall 26.4 hectares at Friar Park in Wednesbury, with the rest mainly in the hands of Sandwell Council.
WMCA will now fund the clean-up of the land – which has previously been occupied by a hospital and an iron foundry – before working with the council to produce a masterplan and appointing development partners.
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West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: “This prominent site, one of the biggest in the Black Country, has sat derelict for more than 30 years with no developer taking it on.
“It cannot be right that our green belt is being targeted for new homes while major sites like this are left untouched year after year.
“The WMCA is embarking on a ‘brownfield-first’ policy for this exact reason, and I am delighted that we have been able to strike this latest deal alongside Sandwell Council and Seven Trent.
“Together, thanks to this landmark deal, we can ease the pressure on green belt land while also delivering good-quality homes for local people.”
Friar Park is the largest residential brownfield site the WMCA has engaged with since it was established in 2016, with “unlocking” stalled sites a key objective.
Sandwell Council has identified the need for 13,420 new homes in the area by 2026.
Yvonne Davies, leader of Sandwell Council, said: “The Friar Park deal will see the combined authority and Sandwell Council working together to secure new homes that are of a high design quality, energy efficient and affordable. There will also be provision for homes built using modular construction techniques.
“The scheme will also include on-site apprenticeships and training for local people so they can learn the construction skills needed to build the new homes. This supports a key priority of the Sandwell Inclusive Economy Deal.
“We are proud as an authority to be providing a national exemplar of partnership working to drive forward growth and opportunity in our borough.”
Julie Rossiter, head of property development for Severn Trent, said: “This is a great example of public and private sectors working together for the communities they serve and we are really pleased to be using our redundant land assets to provide much-needed new homes to the region.”
