º£½ÇÊÓÆµ

Oops.

Our website is temporarily unavailable in your location.

We are working hard to get it back online.

PRIVACY
Economic Development

More than £200m funding to support West Midlands developments

Funding will support almost 50 shovel-ready projects across the wider region including a very light rail centre and new housing

Outside the former Springfield Brewery in Wolverhampton which will house the National Brownfield Institute, (from left): City of Wolverhampton Council leader Ian Brookfield, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, University of Wolverhampton Vice-Chancellor Geoff Layer, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and Wolverhampton North East MP Jane Stevenson

More than £200 million in government funding has been granted to help kick start dozens of shovel-ready projects across the West Midlands.

The capital has been allocated by the Ministry of Housing and will be used for new housing, a construction centre and investment in developing very light rail among other schemes.

A total of £123.8 million has been awarded from the Government's £900 million Getting Building Fund, which was first unveiled in June and is aimed at investing in housing and infrastructure projects which can be started quickly.

The allocation will support 47 shovel-ready projects across the region including £14.8 million to accelerate development of the new National Brownfield Institute in Wolverhampton.

The institute will be part of the University of Wolverhampton's £100 million Springfield Campus development on the former Springfield Brewery site and will create a centre of sustainable construction.

Other projects to benefit include £15.1 million towards the redevelopment of University station in Edgbaston, £10.8 million to provide research labs at the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus in Selly Oak, due to open in 2022, and £12.4 million for Dudley's Very Light Rail Innovation Centre where new greener and cheaper modes of transport are being developed.

A separate grant of £86.8 million has been awarded to help with the construction of 6,000 new homes on brownfield land across the West Midlands Combined Authority area.