Multimillion-pound plan for new homes submitted

The council submitted a planning application for the news homes this week

Plans to build dozens of new homes and flats in an area of Wolverhampton have been submitted.

If approved, more than 200 outdated maisonettes in New Park Village would be knocked down as part of the £42m scheme.

They would be replaced with a mix of houses, flats, maisonettes and bungalows featuring a range of one to four bedrooms.

The new estate would also be "greener", according to the council’s own planning application, and include an outdoor gym, play areas and rooftop gardens.

The council recently put a £4m contract for the first phase of demolition out to tender, saying the work would be expected to be carried out between October 2025 and August 2026.

The new properties on Longford Road and Ellteron Walk would be built in two phases around a green space at the heart of the new estate.

The "uninviting" maisonettes were built in the 1960s and were already showing signs of deterioration in the early 2000s, the council said.

It was announced in 2019 that much of New Park Village would be demolished and replaced with a plan for new homes to have been built throughout the winter of 2020, but that was delayed.

Up to £11m had been set aside for "refurbishments" to the estate until it was realised that would not be enough to fix the problems and it was increased to £25m.

However, it was later deemed that at least £38m would be needed to completely redevelop the estate so it could meet the right standards.

A questionnaire sent to residents in 2019 confirmed 75% supported plans to demolish and rebuild the estate rather than refurbish the existing homes.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.