City of Wolverhampton Council is set to invest £98 million over the next 5 years to deliver around 500 homes.
Cabinet this week approved the investment as part of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan to fund development schemes across the city – and it will now go forward to be considered at a meeting of Full Council.
As well as the money set aside for new build development, the Capital Programme for 2025/2026 to 2029/30 also includes £67 million for estate remodelling, such as New Park Village, £82 million for improvements to high rise estates such as building safety, infrastructure replacement and energy efficiency measures and £110 million to raise the internal standards of properties, including refurbishment of void properties.
Councillor Steve Evans, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Housing, said: “This report demonstrates the Council’s continued commitment to balancing the provision of new homes for rent, while continuing to invest in better and safer homes programmes for existing housing and improving and redeveloping housing estates across the city.
“We have major plans on site or planned across Wolverhampton, delivering better connected communities where everyone has the chance to benefit from new opportunities.
“Of course, these plans are set against the backdrop of increasing pressures on the HRA year on year and without national reform of the HRA system delivering medium and longer term objectives is going to be very challenging, which is why England’s 20 largest council landlords, including City of Wolverhampton Council, have collectively developed proposals on national financing and policy, to stabilise HRAs and enable them to operate efficiently and effectively.”
The new build programme includes £26.5 million funding earmarked for the next phase of the new homes at Heath Town which will see 160 homes built in addition to the 40 homes that have already been completed.
The refurbishment programme at Heath Town estate – managed by Wolverhampton Homes – is set to see work to improve 8 tower blocks completed in 2027, with a budget of £30 million.
This work includes window replacement and external wall insulation works, structural repairs and safety enhancements. Work to deliver a new low carbon energy centre is also underway, supporting the council’s decarbonisation commitments.
Demolition works have started at New Park Village, where 205 out dated properties will be replaced by 188 new 2, 3 and 4 bedroom highly energy efficient homes for rent.
Planning has also been approved to build 99 new energy efficient council bungalows to replace 93 post war prefabs on the Lincoln Green Estate in Bushbury – the first phase of the council’s citywide strategy to identify solutions for 4,100 out dated homes built by old, non traditional construction methods. This work is being done in consultation with local communities.
Keon Homes has, through the council’s housing framework, been appointed as the construction partner for the new homes on the Lincoln Green Estate and are expected to start on site in late Spring.