The Homes & Communities Agency has acquired a major gateway site into Wolverhampton city centre for residential development.
The HCA has bought the 12.5-acre former Royal Hospital site from supermarket chain Tesco for an undisclosed sum, to create new homes and a gateway development into the city centre.
The now vacant site had been at the centre of a drawn-out legal battle between Sainsbury’s and Tesco, with each wanting to develop retail schemes on competing sites in the city. Tesco’s plans prevailed for the site, where it had proposed a retail-led restoration including reusing the listed main hospital building and building a £65m 90,000 sq ft store. However, Tesco scrapped its plans earlier this year as part of a cost-cutting exercise.
The site, which comprises the former bus depot, plus further development land, will now house starter homes under the HCA’s proposals, alongside a potential new campus for Wolverhampton College using the listed former hospital buildings.
City of Wolverhampton Council deputy leader and cabinet member for city assets Peter Bilson said: “Over £868m of investment in city centre projects is either on site or in the pipeline as the regeneration of Wolverhampton continues.”
Karl Tupling, the HCA’s executive director for the Midlands, added: “We look forward to working in partnership with the council to secure a planning consent on the site… We believe the Royal Hospital site will transform this gateway into an inviting new approach into the city centre.”
JLL advised the HCA on the acquisition of the site.
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