New business park on way as contractors start work

A computer-generated image shows how the industrial park would sit within Bilston Urban Village

Work has begun to build a new business park on a brownfield site in Bilston which the mayor of the West Midlands said would pave the way for more than 300 jobs.

Contractors broke ground at Brook Street to build the £12.5m Foundry Business Park on land that had been vacant for 20 years.

The 15-acre development will offer office units to small and medium businesses "helping to tackle a shortage in the region", the West Midlands Combined Authority said.

Mayor Richard Parker said the investment would "strengthen" the local economy and "build a solid foundation for future growth that benefits everyone across the West Midlands".

The business park development is part of the residential phase of Bilston Urban Village.

The housing estate features 78 homes off Dudley Street and 420 homes off Coseley Road.

City of Wolverhampton Council leader, Councillor Stephen Simkins, said it had been a "long-term ambition" to bring the scheme forward, adding he was "delighted to see works to create new industrial and distribution units that will deliver hundreds of jobs for our residents".