Brownfield
Opportunity
A BROWNFIELD-FIRST APPROACH
As a national and local government priority, our region has secured hundreds of millions in funding for brownfield development, with more than £500m in funds including £200m in grants available to help developers unlock former industrial sites for housing.
Following a £1.5bn trailblazing Deeper Devolution Deal in 2023, our region has greater control than ever before over the levers of economic prosperity – now is a pivotal time to be part of the West Midlands story. With over £20bn of real estate investment opportunities and £200m in grant funding available to the market, the West Midlands stands ready to de-risk brownfield regeneration and deliver new homes, places and communities across the region.
We’re one of the youngest and most diverse regions in Europe: home to 4.7 million people, with over 190 nationalities represented and a third of the population aged under 25. More than 100,000 people a year migrate here from other UK regions and, as a result, we need 215,000 new homes by 2030. Our track record on delivery is strong – exceeding our 15,000+ new homes target year after year through a brownfield-first policy.
We offer unique placemaking opportunities that are ripe for development, connecting diverse urban centres and reshaping the historic fabric of the West Midlands’ communities and economic landscape.
James Dickens
Managing Director of Wavensmere Homes
As the founder of Wavensmere Homes, James has over 20 years’ experience in the property industry. A career spanning construction, property portfolio management, and the development of individual houses for private clients across the Midlands, he is regarded as one of the UK’s most prominent leaders of an SME housebuilding firm.
Ensuring the highest standards of excellence with every delivery, James is instrumental in Wavensmere Homes’ acquisition of four major brownfield sites over the past 12 months, which between them will deliver over 1,300 houses, apartments, and 150,000 sq. ft of commercial space over the coming years.
HEAR FROM JAMES:
Networking Lunch: Embracing Complexity to Unlock Brownfield Land
21/05/2024 | 12:45 pm – 2:00 pm
(session content begins at 1:00 pm)
Join us on the West Midlands Pavilion at UKREiiF to hear James provide fascinating insights on how heavily constrained, derelict sites are being transformed into sustainable new communities.
Across the West Midlands, there are ample opportunities for ambitious developers to bring forward brownfield sites. Richard Lawrence, Director of Regeneration at City of Wolverhampton Council, will join James to discuss the City’s fantastic, recent track record on brownfield development and the future pipeline.
DON’T MISS:
WMCA Devolved Housing and Land Funds
22/05/2024 | 9:30 am – 10:00 am
Learn more about the funds available to developers in the West Midlands, including £200m in new grants to support housing delivery.
Networking Lunch: Building Social Value into Large Scale Brownfield Regeneration
22/05/2024 | 12:45 pm – 2:00 pm
Session Content begins at 1:15 pm
Affordable Housing: New & Future Delivery Models
22/05/2024 | 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
View Full Event Programme
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LANDMARK BROWNFIELD PROJECTS IN THE WEST MIDLANDS
West Works at Longbridge
The 75-acre scheme, bigger in size than London’s Kings Cross redevelopment, is just the latest phase in a £1bn regeneration of the colossal Rover car plant – which at its peak employed more than 25,000 people.
The project, featuring 350 homes and 900,000 sq. ft of business premises creating 5,000 new jobs, was unlocked by a £6m investment three years ago from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). It is part of its nationally acclaimed ‘brownfield first’ programme which targets the creation of new housing on former industrial sites.
COVENTRY CITY CENTRE SOUTH
The regeneration project has secured an additional £12.24m from West Midlands Combined Authority, adding to the £98.8m previously secured. Plans will comprise of two phases delivering over 1,500 homes of which 200 homes are affordable housing, alongside significant commercial and placemaking development.
The residential led, mixed-use development in the heart of the city forms part of the wider masterplan for the regeneration of Coventry which has already delivered a major upgrade to the railway station.
LOCKSIDE
The £44m canalside development in Birchills has seen the derelict old 16-acre Caparo steelworks site transformed into a 252-home community, of which 120 are affordable housing.
KEY ANNOUNCEMENTS
15/03/2024
Homes England and West Midlands Combined Authority launch Strategic Place Partnership to unlock more quality and affordable homes for the region.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement has been signed to formalise the West Midlands Strategic Place Partnership (SPP), which sets out shared ambitions to transform derelict brownfield land into thriving communities and places. This enhanced working relationship between the WMCA and Homes England forms part of the Deeper Devolution Deal signed by the combined authority and government last year.
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