Wolverhampton council approves development agreement for 1,000 homes

City of Wolverhampton Council has agreed to enter into a development agreement with ECF to deliver 1,000 homes in the city centre. ECF is the joint venture between Homes England, Legal & General, and Muse. The jv was selected as the preferred regeneration partner for its City Centre West scheme in October 2023. It will be the first project to be delivered by the public-private partnership in the Midlands. The development agreement was approved at a council meeting last night. City Centre West covers 12 acres linking School Street and Darlington Street, including the area around Market Square. The council’s investment prospectus describes it as “the largest regeneration opportunity in the city centre”. ECF will develop a proposal ahead of submitting a detailed planning application for phase 1 and an outline planning application for the rest of the site later this year. Proposals will be subject to consultation over the coming months. Chris Burden, the council’s cabinet member for city development, jobs and skills, said: “The council approved ECF as the preferred partner for City Centre West because of its strong track record of working with local authorities in partnership to create great places, bringing together investment and its regeneration expertise, while providing long-term commitment to social value outcomes. “The development agreement signals a major step forward in being able to deliver one of the major opportunities from the Wolverhampton Investment Prospectus, which presents an ambitious vision of how the city can grow – building on the significant levels of public and private sector investment already on site or in the pipeline in Wolverhampton.”  He added: “City Centre West will provide essential new housing, new jobs and commercial opportunities to help revitalise the city centre, as well as provide the social and economic benefits of linking the city centre back into the surrounding suburbs. This is all about putting people at the heart of our city.” ECF chair Sir Michael Lyons said: “Having a development agreement in place is an important step and builds on our strong partnership with City of Wolverhampton Council. “We have been exploring potential partnership options over recent months and this is proof of a joint commitment to deliver at City Centre West. “The ECF board expects to be in a position to confirm the agreement in the very near future, ahead of the delivery of a planning application.” Image © City of Wolverhampton Council