Consultation opens on city's "green corridor"

Four brownfield sites, known as Six Mile Green, near the University of Wolverhampton Science Park, are to be developed

Public consultation has started over how the first phase of Wolverhampton's Green Innovation Corridor (GIC) will look.

Four brownfield sites, known as Six Mile Green, near the University of Wolverhampton Science Park, are to be developed as part of the multi-million-pound project which has a focus on green construction, engineering, computing and cyber-security.

The city council has said the GIC would create more than 700 jobs by supporting new, green industries.

People could now have their say online over designs for the first phase, and attend an exhibition and drop-in event in the coming days, the council said.

The GIC will connect "key assets" at the university's Springfield Campus, Science Park, and the i54 advanced manufacturing business park.

The project has received £27m in funding from the government and been given West Midlands Investment Zone status, which will yield capital funding, business support and skills programmes.

After feedback is collated, a hybrid planning application will be submitted covering clearance of the site, infrastructure and enabling works, and outline plans for new buildings, the authority has said.

If plans are approved, then West Midlands Investment Zone funding will be used to carry out pre-construction works by March 2027.

People are being encouraged to have their say on the designs for the new site

In May, at the UK's Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum in Leeds, firms were encouraged by the council to move to the site.

Councillor Chris Burden, cabinet member for city development, jobs and skills, said: "Bringing forward these designs for consultation is the next step towards our goal of securing the planning permission for Six Mile Green that will facilitate enabling works and ultimately attract developer interest."

The university, according to its chief operating officer Pete Cross, is "proud" to be a key partner in the project.

"We are working closely with our colleagues at the City of Wolverhampton Council to develop an exciting and ambitious business community that will drive growth in green technologies and advanced manufacturing, directly contributing to the net zero agenda and creating high-value jobs for our communities."

The exhibition at University of Wolverhampton Science Park will run from 28 July until 1 August and a public drop-in event there will be held on 30 July between 16:00 and 20:00 BST.