Archived News
Changes to the Morrisons traffic island
Work has now started to change the "teardrop" shaped traffic island near the entrance to Morrisons to a conventional circular traffic island.
The junction was created as part of the contract to provide the site for the new Bilston Leisure Centre and the proposed Primary and Communtiy Care Centre. It was created in response to concerns from the local community that Dudley Street and its junction with Highfields Road would take a significant amount of new traffic if a route were provided into Morrisons at this point. The new arrangement was required because of the stopping up of the northern section of Dudley Street.
Experience has shown a significant number of drivers using the junction incorrectly in order to gain access to Morrisons, even to the extent of driving over the junction. This has presented the Council and the community with significant concerns over pedestrian safety in the area.
Traffic counts have been undertaken along Dudley Street and this has shown a reduction in flows - the reasons for this are not known.
On this basis the Council has decided that there is no choice but to modify the junction allowing traffic travelling in a northerly direction along Dudley Street and then along the new Nettlefolds Way to go straight on into Morrisons.
The situation will continue to be monitored following completion of the works.
- 9th Sep 2009
Bilston Urban Village Medical Centre Open
Bilston Urban Village Medical Centre
Bankfield Road, Bilston, WV14 0EE
Tel: 01902 409905
Opening Hours: 8.00 am to 6.30 pm Monday to Wednesday and Friday, 8.00am to 8.00 pm Thursday and 8.00 am to noon on Saturday. The opening hours will be extended as more patients sign up at the practice.
The Centre will provide free health checks as well as all the usual general medical services you find at a GP practice. In time anticoagulation facilities will also be included.
The centre will be run by IntraHealth Limited, a national primary care company which operates GP practices across the north of England.
- 23rd Jul 2009
Selection of the Lead Developer for Bilston Urban Village
DEVELOPMENT PARNTER SELECTED FOR BILSTON URBAN VILLAGE
Wolverhampton City Council and Advantage West Midlands have selected Places for People as their development partner to deliver the flagship multi-million Bilston Urban Village scheme - one of the largest regeneration projects in the West Midlands.
The £200 million plus urban village development will create around 350 jobs during the construction phase and almost 750 jobs once the scheme is completed. Funding for the scheme will come from Advantage West Midlands and the city council – having already invested more than £20 million between them to date.
Places for People will be responsible for the delivery of remediation and earthworks across the site which lies just off the Black Country Route next to the Morrisons supermarket. They will also construct 16,500 sq metres of employment space, almost 900 houses, public open space, the building of roads, footpaths and cycleways.
This is in addition to other developments including:
• A new state of the art leisure centre (Wolverhampton City Council)
• A primary and community care centre (Wolverhampton City Council and the Primary Care Trust)
• A new academy school (Wolverhampton’s Building Schools for the Future programme)
• The development of a pedestrian link to the High Street (Advantage West Midlands and Wolverhampton City Council)
Taken together, the scheme has the potential to bring more than £300 million of investment to Bilston over the medium to long term.
Councillor Paddy Bradley, cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise at Wolverhampton City Council, said: “This is extremely good news for Bilston, and to secure this deal in the current economic climate is very tangible proof of the potential of Bilston and its communities.
“I am pleased that a large number of local jobs will be created and the council will be working with its partners to help ensure that opportunities for local people are maximised.”
The Urban Village has the scope to bring about real change in this part of the Black Country.
Mick Laverty, chief executive of Advantage West Midlands, said: “Bilston is one of the agency’s flagship projects and the selection of Places for People brings us closer to realising the vision. The combination of public and private investment will enable the scheme to be delivered over the next decade. ”
Places for People, is a residential social landlord which is involved in the creation of sustainable communities. Its final tender submission for Bilston Urban Village provided a coherent and high quality bid. The council and AWM were impressed by the bid. Places for People is committed to making sure that as many people in the Bilston area as possible are able to take advantage of opportunities for employment and training.
Mary Parsons, strategic projects director for Places for People said: “We believe that Bilston Urban Village represents a superb opportunity to apply our unique approach to development to create a great place for people to live, work and visit. We want to work in genuine partnership to deliver the innovative and ambitious plans for Bilston and use our resources, expertise and, above all, enthusiasm to deliver them.”
Details of the final bid document can be found on the downloads page which you can reach by clicking here
More details on Places for People are available here
- 3rd Apr 2009
New Bilston Leisure Centre Plans now available
The new Bilston Leisure Centre will be the first development of the multi million pound Urban Village proposals.
It will replace the existing leisure centre, situated in Prouds Lane, with a modern, state of the art centre of striking design and appearance.
It will be a key landmark building in the area, highly visible from the Black Country Route and only yards from the Town Centre, making it a highly accessible location.
Central to the proposals is the creation of a pedestrian link between the leisure centre and the town, giving easy access to shops, the bus station amd the metro.
The documents relating to the leisure centre are available on the downloads page which you can reach by clicking here
- 19th Dec 2008
High Street Link consultation ends
Consultation on the document which will guide the future development of the High Street link has now ended.
Thankyou to everyone who has made comments.
All the comments will be evaluated and included in a Consultation Report which will form part of the documentation to be reported to Cabinet in January.
- 11th Dec 2008
New Bilston Leisure Centre Plans Submitted
Key documents from the planning application will be available here to download shortly.
These will include:
Images of the proposed centre.
Design and Access Statement.
Transport Plan.
Sustainability reports on key areas such as ecology, renewable energy and climate change.
- 11th Dec 2008
Sponsors for the Bilston Academy announced
As part of the overall Urban Village proposals, a new Academy School will be built linking in with the new leisure and health proposals along the northern edge of the Urban Village site as well as the new housing and employment opportunities.
The new school will be fully integrated with the development and is a further example of the urban Village bringing a mix of uses to the heart of Bilston, only a stone's throw away from the Town Centre.
Further details of the new sponsors can be found by clicking here.
- 20th Nov 2008
High Street Link Public Consultation
The establishment of a high quality pedestrian link between the new Urban Village developments and the Town Centre is considered to be vital in maximising the benefit of the new investment to the Town.
The draft development brief describes the Council's preferred approach to achieving this and will be adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document following a six week period of consultation.
The link involves the acquisition and demolition of a number of High Street properties and the building of new shops, offices and apartments facing onto the link.
All of the documents connected with this consultation are available on the downloads page or can be inspected at the Civic Centre (Reception 24, Second Floor) and Bilston Library.
At the end of the consultation period all of the comments received will be brought together in a Consultation Report (which will be available on this web site) and this will be reported back to the Council's Cabinet in January 2009 for a final decision.
If you would like to make a comment on the proposals please use the Your views page or email project.implementation@wolverhampton.gov.uk
- 28th Oct 2008
Nettlefolds Way
Through the Bilston East Local Neighbourhood Partnership, groups and individuals were asked to come up with suggestions for names for the new road. Nettlefolds is a reminder of the previous occupiers of the site, Guest, Keen and Nettlefold (GKN). The winning name was chosen by St Martin's Lads' and Girls' Brigade. Pictured are Brigade leader Tony Yates and Brigade members Danny Owen and Lucy Owen with Pat McFadden MP and Mick Laverty of Advantage West Midlands who were there to celebrate the new name on September 19th
- 30th Sep 2008
High Street Link
Links between the new development and the exisitng Town Centre are critical in making sure that everyone benefits from the massive investment that will come to the Town.
In order to achieve this the Council has resolved to make a Compulsory Purchase Order on properties in the High Street and has produced a draft Development Brief to guide the future development of the site. This document will be available here from late October and we will be in the Town Centre on November 13, 14 and 15th to find out what you think of the proposals. More details to follow.
- 30th Sep 2008
Completion of Plot A works contract
The site for the new Bilston Leisure Centre and the Primary and Community Care Centre is now nearing completion. For the past six months the site has been regraded, services have been diverted and a new link road, joining Dudley Street and Bankfield Road has been built. The result is a site which is now ready to take the new development. A planning application for the new Bilston Leisure Centre is due to be made soon.
Pedestrians are already using the footpaths along the new road and we hope to be able to open it to traffic within the next few days – watch out for further announcements.
- 1st Jul 2008
Plot A works contract gets underway (November 2007)
The current contract on Plot A follows the earlier grouting contract and represents the final preparatory work on site prior to the development of the leisure and health facilities. The contract essentially involves three main aspects: firstly, the diversion of underground services along Dudley Street; secondly, the regrading of the site to remove the sudden changes in levels; and thirdly, to provide new highway and other infrastructure. The contract is expected to last for approximately 27 weeks. Some disruption will be inevitable but the Council, Advantage West Midlands and Wrekin Construction will make every attempt to minimise this.
- 12th Nov 2007
Plot A Contract set to begin
Wrekin Construction of Shifnal have been awarded the earthworks and infrastructure contract for Plot A of the urban village. This involves the diversion of existing underground services, the re-profiling of the site and the construction of new roads and other infrastructure. The contract begins on Monday 12 November and is expected to last for 27 weeks. Some disruption is inevitable as the contract progresses though this will be kept to an absolute minimum.
The land is earmarked for the new Bilston Leisure Centre and the new health facility promoted by the City Council and the Primary Care Trust.
- 10th Nov 2007
School kids get creative
Hoardings are now being put up along Bankfield Road and Dudley Street to showcase the work of year 10 pupils at Bilston High School.
Creative kids from the school are working on two projects looking at the history of the Urban Village site and on the plans for its regeneration.
The Year 10 pupils are using photography and other media to display on the specially constructed hoardings around Plot A (the site for the Leisure Centre and the Health facility) a series of images which they hope will inspire the local community. Working with a professional photographer and using the facilities of a state of the art printing company in Cambridge (Rutters UK Ltd which has been used to create film backdrops for both Harry Potter and James Bond) a series of high quality images will be created along Bankfield Road and Dudley Street.
And a group of year 7 children are themselves scripting, shooting and editing a film on their school and its surroundings, past present and future. Working with film makers from the Lighthouse Media Centre in Wolverhampton the 10 minute DVD will be shown to both parents and other pupils.
These projects are led by and funded by Wolverhampton City Council and the Bilston Development Project.
- 29th Mar 2007
Climate Change Adaptation Report
The Council has been working with regional partners including Sustainability West Midlands, Severn Trent Water and the Environment Agency on using Bilston as a case study for climate change adaptation measures.
The nature of the proposals at Bilston, especially perhaps the reprofiling of the landscape, means that we have to be particularly sensitive to future scenarios. For example, it is no longer enough to design a central water feature based on historical rainfall data when the predictions are for more intense rainfall.
The report also looks at the way climate change adaptation was factored into a standard economic risk assessment.
The report is currently available only as a CD. To obtain a copy please email your details to simon.lucas@wolverhampton.gov.uk
- 29th Mar 2007
OJEU Notice published
According to EU legislation, all public sector contracts over a certain threshold must be advertised in the European Journal.
The notice for Bilston Urban Village was published on March 22 with the reference DOC 2007-70169-EN
Further details on the lead developer selection process are available from Jill Astley at Drivers Jonas: jillastley@driversjonas.com
- 22nd Mar 2007
Developer Selection Brochure
As part of the marketing material for the Urban Village we have prepared a brochure describing the development opportunity in more detail.
The brochure is aimed at developers who wish to gain a greater understanding of the opportunity the urban village offers and shows the boundary of the site which is available.
The brochure is available on the downloads page.
For a printed copy of the brochure please contact Jill Astley at Drivers Jonas: jillastley@driversjonas.com
- 22nd Mar 2007
Plot A Development Brief now available
Plot A is the first phase of the Urban Village. The Development Brief gives guidance on the quality of the urban design, architecture and environmental performance of the site. More information on the Current Work page.
- 20th Mar 2007
BUV launched at MIPIM
After a long and protracted period of land assembly and some remediation, Bilston Urban Village was officially launched as a development opportunity on March 14 2007, at the international property show in Cannes on the French Riviera.
Advantage West Midlands and Wolverhampton City Council, who between them own the site, are seeking a development partner to make the vision a reality.
Further details of this site as a development opportunity are available from Jill Astley at Drivers Jonas (0121 237 4440)
- 14th Mar 2007
The Bilston Urban Village DVD
Narrated by Nick Owen, the DVD introduces the main issues and includes a 3D fly-through of the proposed development. Click here to view the DVD and download the script.
- 12th Jun 2006
PLANS FOR BILSTON'S FUTURE ON SHOW (May 2005)
Visitors will be able to view a DVD, an exhibition and a model showing how the ambitious scheme could look.
The events, which will take place in and around Bilston High Street on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 19, 20, 21, will offer family fun, with face painters and balloons for the youngsters on all three days and a children’s entertainer on Saturday.
The DVD introduces the key themes of the development and asks a series of questions designed to get people thinking about how they would like Bilston to grow and change over the next 10 years. The DVD is available to local groups or organisations interested in the development.
One of the areas focused on during the consultation events will be the first phase of the development, which consists of a new leisure centre, Primary Care Trust health facility and a new link from the Urban Village to the town centre.
Important issues such as the type of open space required – including playing facilities - transport arrangements, the range of housing to be provided and the sort of jobs Bilston needs if it is to prosper will also be discussed.
The events will be staffed from 10am to 4pm each day and there will be staff on hand to answer general and technical enquiries about the Bilston Urban Village . Questionnaires and feedback forms will be available.
Bilston Urban Village is a scheme jointly promoted by Wolverhampton City Council and the regional development agency Advantage West Midlands. It aims to transform an area of 41 hectares (100 acres) just south of Bilston town centre through the introduction of a range of uses including housing and employment.
- 12th Mar 2006
Ground Investigation Contract
Read more about it on the Detailed Design page which you can go to by clicking here.
- 12th Sep 2004
New Aerial Photographs
There are nine photographs to view here, all available as .pdf files to download and view. For copyright reasons printing of these images from the web is not permitted. Photographic prints are available from:
Roger D Smith ABIPP
5 Rectory Close
Alverstoke
Gosport
Hants
PO12 2HT
Telephone: 02392 581008
You can go straight to the downloads page by clicking here, or follow
the link after the description of each photograph.
Photograph 1 (ref: 4037)
This photograph shows a view looking west. The Midland Metro is in the
foreground with Morrisons and the Brook Terrace scrapyards. B & Q
is at the top right of the shot. Download.
Photograph 2 (ref: 4044)
Looking south with the market in the foreground, the midland metro on
the left and Carder Crescent in the top right. Download.
Photograph 3 (ref: 4053)
Looking south east, showing the scrapyards very clearly and the large
Sankey Laminations work to the right. Download.
Photograph 4 (ref: 4056)
Again, looking south east, this time from just behind B & Q. Carder
Crescent is
at the top left with the Bradley canal clearly visible. The old Metabrasives
site and Broadmoor Road are in the middle of the shot. Ladymoor Pool
is on the extreme right. Download
Photograph 5 (ref: 4060)
Looking east with Bilston Town Centre on the left, almost the whole
of the urban village site in the centre and stretching all the way to
Bradley Lane playing fields in the top right. Download
Photograph 6 (ref: 4067)
A dramatic view of the south west corner of
the urban village site. Broadmoor Road is in the centre, with the new
housing development on
the corner of Broad Lanes/Highfields Road clearly visible. Ladymoor Pool
is to the right. Download
Photograph 7 (ref: 4074)
Looking north, a general view of the urban village site with the town
centre towards the top of the photograph. St Leonatd’s Church is
clearly visible. Download
Photograph 8 (ref: 4081)
Looking east with Station Road in the foreground. The Sankey Laminations
factory dominates the left hand side of the picture with the town centre
on the right. Download
Photograph 9 (ref: 4091)
A close up view of the Black Country Route showing Morrisons, the proposed
site for the Health Resource Centre and Leisure Centre (on land previously
occupied by GKN) and the Bilston Annexe to Parkfield school. Download
- 12th Jul 2004
Plot A Contract Gets Underway
- 30th Nov 1999
Plot A Contract Gets Underway
- 30th Nov 1999