Walsall industrial land clearance progressing well, says council

Industrial units could be built on the site, once it is cleared

Work to clear a large area of industrial land in Walsall is progressing well and should be complete by next summer, a council says.

It is hoped re-development of the 40 acre (16 hectare) site, off Reservoir Place, will create up to 1,000 jobs.

Contractor John F Hunt has so far excavated and treated 1.3 million tonnes of soil from the site.

The company has also crushed and processed 150,000 tonnes of concrete to produce recycled aggregate.

Developer HBD and Walsall Council said the work is going well and last month, a reserved matters planning application was submitted to the authority, seeking permission for the first three units to be built on site.

A decision is expected in January and, if granted, it is anticipated construction work will begin shortly after the clean-up is finished.

Work to clear the site should be complete by summer 2024

The site was home to James Bridge Copperworks for more than 20 years, but has been unused for two decades.

A deal was eventually struck between property developer HBD, Walsall Council and Homes England to transform the land.

Funding was provided by the partners as well as Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership and West Midlands Combined Authority.

Developer HBD said the site was "one of the most significant regeneration schemes in the Midlands"

Outline planning permission for the redevelopment of the site was granted in 2021.

Walsall Council deputy leader Adrian Andrew said the progress so far had been "unbelievable".

He added: "We've been living with this for the best part of 20 years, so to think the clean up works could be finished by next summer is stunning."