Dozens of homes set to rise at old bread factory
AFORMER Black Country bakery which has lain derelict for almost a decade has been transformed into a new housing estate and community.
Work to regenerate the old Harvestime Bakery in Walsall has now been completed and which has created 88 new houses on land which had stood empty and neglected since 2012.
The 4.6-acre site, off Raleigh Street close to the town centre, has 66 units available for private rent through Gatehouse Bank while the remaining 22 are classed as affordable and are being managed by local housing association WHG.
Harvestime Bakeries was once one of Walsall’s biggest employers and there had been a bakery on the site since the 1800s.
But the company went into administration twice in 2005 and was rescued through a takeover by Maple Leaf Bakery UK, securing 250 jobs after more than 100 workers were made redundant.
The bakery finally closed in 2012 after the company announced it was leaving the sliced bread market, with around 230 staff being encouraged to apply for posts at the Perfection Foods bakery which opened elsewhere in Walsall.
The regeneration scheme was led by Vistry Partnerships, whose West Midlands pre-construction director Adam Sharpe said: “This was a significant regeneration development opportunity for us in Walsall with great links to major nearby cities.
“It represents a significant contribution to the new-build local housing market in the area and we were
delighted to be able to work with the West Midlands Combined Authority, Gatehouse Bank and WHG on bringing this mixed-tenure development forward.
“I hope all the residents enjoy their new homes.”
The project was backed by the West Midlands Combined Authority which invested £1.5 million into the scheme to help clean up the site and make it suitable for development.
It is the latest disused industrial site in the region which has been turned into new housing as part of its stated ‘brownfield first’ policy for
supporting redevelopment projects.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “Not long ago this site was lying derelict and now, thanks to our investment in brownfield-first regeneration, we are providing good-quality, affordable housing for dozens of local people.
“Brownfield sites like Harvestime are notoriously difficult to develop which is why they’ve remained derelict for so long.
“But with the funds we’ve secured from the Government, we’ve been able to intervene and clean up the land, making it ready for new homes
and commercial spaces while simultaneously creating local jobs and helping to protect our precious greenbelt.
“This work to unlock some of the region’s most-complex industrial sites for development has continued even through the pandemic and Harvestime is yet another example of this.”
Cllr Mike Bird, leader of Walsall Council and housing chief with the combined authority, added: “This development shows that, with the right investment, we can breathe new life into local communities.”