For many years, I have believed that extra investment in bringing old sites back into use can protect our environment and create new urban areas that people will be proud to live and work in.
Given that 87% of land in our community is already built on, I am clear that we must look at how we can yield the potential of disused brownfield land to cater for future housing and employment needs. I am encouraged that so many residents agree with me. 90% of those who responded to my environmental priorities survey agreed that brownfield sites must be considered first when it comes to building new homes.
In the run up to the Spending Review, I called on the Government to commit more funding to deliver on this vision. I am delighted it has now been announced that Wolverhampton will be one of the very first places to benefit from a new programme of support to deliver ambitious regeneration projects that transform derelict sites into new homes people can take pride in. It will also help alleviate pressure on the greenbelt, addressing the concerns of local groups to protect our environment. It will be a boost to communities in our city and along the corridor to Walsall as our recovery from COVID-19 gathers pace.
The plans were announced in the Levelling Up White Paper, which sets out the next steps that we are taking to drive regeneration in areas that have not typically benefitted from economic growth. This builds on ongoing work to level up opportunities for people across the nation by investing in the infrastructure of everyday life – that is, more schools, hospitals, and transport connections. It is designed to breathe new life in deprived communities, levelling up life chances for people across our nation.
I welcome this extra funding, which builds on more than £1 billion that has been secured for Wolverhampton since 2019 for a wide range of areas such as health, education, and our vital public services. This reflects the priorities of our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who is so passionate about our mission to level up. He worked in the Black Country as a reporter when he was a trainee journalist in the 1980s. Boris understands our region and has been vital in helping us get this welcome investment.
This will accelerate work already underway to catalyse our city’s revival. Last year, new headquarters for the government’s housing department opened in our city centre, bringing civil servants closer to the communities that they serve and creating more employment opportunities for local people. Our city has also benefitted from £25 million to develop local infrastructure, £20 million to build a new city learning quarter, and £15 million to revitalise the city centre. Together, this will help our city rediscover its economic strength as a well-connected regional centre and spur economic growth in the years ahead.
