Car park deal paves way for 1,000 city centre homes

A council is set to pay £750,000 towards the cost of buying a 24-hour car park as part of plans to build more than 1,000 homes in the city centre.

The purchase of the former Network House site on School Street, Wolverhampton, will make way for the Smithgate development, which will also feature a mix of public spaces, shops and restaurants.

The site was recently listed for sale with a £2.1m asking price and the City of Wolverhampton Council has agreed to split the cost with developer English Cities Fund (ECF).

Any extra funding would require further approval, a council report said.

The regeneration plans for the area include up to 1,070 new homes, shops, bars, restaurants and a revamped public square across a 12-acre site linking School Street and Darlington Street.

Work began on the huge Smithgate development, the city's largest regeneration scheme, at the start of the year.

The first phase sees 331 new flats being built, along with new retail units on the site of the city's former indoor market on Peel Street, as well as the area around Market Square.

Planners had approved a proposal to keep a 24-hour car park on the School Street site earlier this year having rejected similar plans in 2024.

They said the car park would stand in the way of its huge regeneration plans – only for the decision to be overturned by a government inspector.

The council approved the bid after it was told the revenue would eventually allow the land to be turned over for more than 100 flats.

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

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