Work at ‘most contaminated site’ begins
WORK on a new £100 million industrial and business scheme in the Black Country has started.
Developer HBD is leading the Phoenix 10 project south west of Walsall town centre near the M6.
The site, which once housed the James Bridge Copper Works, extends to 44 acres of brownfield land off Reservoir Place but has remained unused for two decades.
Extensive remediation works must be completed before construction work can begin, with contractor JF Hunt on site carrying out initial site clearance.
This is expected to conclude in early 2024, with construction beginning shortly afterwards.
Phoenix 10 was given the green light by councillors in Walsall last
April but not before the regeneration site was branded the “most contaminated site in Europe” by the chairman of the council’s planning committee.
The land is said to be riddled with gases and contaminants from previous industrial uses although it is not currently harmful to those in the surrounding area.
The estate will eventually house 620,000 sq ft of employment space accessed via both junctions nine and ten of the M6 and is expected to create around 1,000 jobs.
It is being delivered in partnership with Walsall Council, Homes England, West Midlands Combined Authority and Black Country LEP.
HBD director Simon Raiye said: “Phoenix 10 is one of the largest and most complex regeneration projects under way in the Midlands and will offer the region a huge boost in creating new jobs and helping to build a thriving economy. It’s great to be able to get started on cleaning the site up and giving it a new purpose.
“It is extremely well located and played an important role in the town’s history so we look forward to seeing the new scheme begin to take shape over the coming years.”
Walsall Council’s deputy leader Cllr Adrian Andrew added: “This development will create hundreds of local jobs in Pleck, Walsall and the wider region.
“We have been working on this for a number of years and it is great to see the progress that has been made with our partners HBD.”