Walsall Waterfront South gets £6.5m boost from HCA

  Walsall’s Waterfront South development has won a £6.5m ‘kickstart’ grant for its second phase from the Homes and Communities Agency this week.   The funding will be a major boost for the project which plans to revitalise the town’s waterfront area into a new canalside quarter.   The funding follows on from a previous HCA grant of £8.7m and will allow developer Jessop Build Develop to start work on site later this year.   The £18m second phase of the development will comprise 164 new homes and is due to be completed by March 2012.   Work on the first 158-home phase started on site last month.   Akshay Parikh, chief operating officer at Walsall Regeneration Company said: “There is strong competition nationwide for Kickstart funds to help projects which have stalled in the downturn.   “To receive two significant grants clearly demonstrates confidence in Walsall’s renaissance.”   lisa.pilkington@estatesgazette.com