UK real estate company Wavensmere Homes has been given the go-ahead from the City of Wolverhampton for a £150 mln (€180 mln) housing project.
To be built on a 7.1-hectare former industrial site near the city centre, Canalside South will include 378 energy-efficient homes with two or three bedrooms and 145 one- or two-bedroom apartments. There will also be 10 co-living units with six bedrooms each, designed for young professionals. There will also be parks, shops, and other amenities. The development is expected to transform the area, which has been empty for many years.
Wavensmere Homes will make the new homes energy-efficient by using electric heating systems. The development will use a variety of technologies, including air source heat pumps, solar panels, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Each home or parking space will have an electric vehicle charging station, and there will also be charging stations for visitors.
The development, designed by Glancy Nicholls Architects, will blend with the historic neighborhood and makes the most of its canalside location. A new pedestrian path will connect the development to the city centre, cutting travel time by 20 minutes and boosting business in the area.
James Dickens, managing director of Wavensmere Homes, said: ‘As a timeline, Wavensmere was announced as the new developer for this nationally significant project last December, and we are now in a position to confirm that we will be starting work at Canalside South before the year is out. This scheme will be a catalyst for a new wave of ambitious city living, which is vital to see the Wolverhampton Pound spent locally.’
Canalside South is conveniently located near public transportation and has direct access to the Wyrley & Essington Canal and the Wolverhampton Branch of the Birmingham Main Line Canal.
The goal of the Wolverhampton Canalside master plan is to build around 1,000 homes to meet the needs of the city and surrounding area.
