Stuart Anderson MP has welcomed the news that Wolverhampton will be one of the first places to benefit from a package of Government investment designed to breathe new life into disadvantaged communities, with a focus on converting derelict buildings into new homes. Wolverhampton will receive a share of the new £1.5 billion Brownfield Fund to catalyse the revival of the city and wider Wolverhampton to Walsall corridor. It will boost existing communities and create new areas that people will be proud to live and work in.
As a local MP, Stuart has been championing non-stop for extra investment in regenerating brownfield sites to meet future housing and employment needs while taking pressure off the greenbelt. Ahead of last year’s Spending Review, he called on the Government to deliver on its commitment to level up infrastructure in places such as Wolverhampton. He was delighted when the Chancellor announced £1.8 billion to bring 1,500 hectares of brownfield land into use, transforming derelict sites into beautiful new homes. Stuart has now welcomed the extra funding, which will also see the West Midlands Combined Authority equipped with £28 million to fund projects that will transform derelict brownfield sites into vibrant places where people will want to live and work. A further £30 million is being awarded to three Combined Authorities, including the West Midlands, as part of the programme to deliver 7,800 more homes on disused brownfield land.
The investment compliments Stuart’s campaign to protect the green belt from development, following a £15 million investment in the National Brownfield Institute which is located at the University of Wolverhampton. The Institute is pioneering research in the remediation of derelict sites to deliver homes that are fit for the future. The investment also builds on record funding for Wolverhampton, now standing at more than £1 billion since 2019. It includes £25 million from the Towns Fund, £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund, and £15 million from the Future High Streets Fund.
Following Stuart’s request, a dual headquarters for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was last year set up at the City’s i9 building as part of the Places for Growth programme, which aims to move thousands of civil service roles outside London by 2030, bringing policymakers closer to the communities that they serve. Next week, the Government is expected to publish its Levelling Up White Paper, which will set out even more ambitious plans to support good jobs, thriving high streets, better transport connections, and empower communities across the nation.
Stuart Anderson MP said: “As a constituency in which 87% of land is built on, many constituents in Wolverhampton South West quite rightly want to see more being done to protect green spaces from being encroached upon. I have been campaigning non-stop for extra funding which can deliver more affordable housing while alleviating pressure on our precious greenbelt. I welcome this package of support from the Government, which delivers on our commitment to levelling up local infrastructure and ensuring that everyone can take pride in the place that they call home.”
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove MP said: “We are on a mission to regenerate the nation, transforming derelict areas in our towns and cities into thriving places people are proud to live and work in… This huge investment in infrastructure and regeneration will spread opportunity more evenly and help reverse the geographical inequalities which still exist in the UK.”