Morrisons Buy In to Willenhall Town Centre

Morrisons Buy In to Willenhall Town Centre

4 August 2008

Willenhall Regeneration Company has today announced that contracts have been exchanged with Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC for the freehold of a major regeneration site in the centre of Willenhall.

Work will start later this year on the £30 million scheme at the site on Wood Street which will see the development of a 75,000 sq ft food store and town centre car park with 541 spaces, creating up to 450 new jobs for the area.

This ambitious development is the achievement of Willenhall Regeneration, a consortium of developers including Dransfield Properties Ltd, Gallaghers Estates and Countrywide Properties.  The complex site required the acquisition of 30 land interests including the former Assa Abloy Factory, which closed a few years ago.  The scheme will also incorporate a new link road between Walsall Street and Wood Street, as well as improved pedestrian linkages to the existing Town Centre.

The news will be welcomed in Willenhall where residents have already given their backing to this exciting scheme.  Willenhall is the only town in the Black Country that lacks a major supermarket and 100 per cent of those who attended a public exhibition last year said they wanted a new food store in the town.

Andrew Malley, Retail Property Director at Dransfield Properties,  said

 “When we first consulted the community in Willenhall it was clear there was an overwhelming swell of support for a new supermarket.

We are delighted to announce that Morrisons will build the supermarket and in no doubt that local residents will welcome this news.”

Morrisons Development Director, Chris Evenson,  commented

“ We are very pleased to secure this site.  Not only is it a very important development for Willenhall but is also a significant development for Morrisons, strengthening our offer in the West Midlands”.

He continued,

“ There is a lot to do before we can start construction but we have enormous  experience in dealing with such complex schemes and we are raring to go.”

Planning permission was granted for the plans in June 2007 and work is due to start on site later this year.

A mixture of houses and apartments are also planned for the eastern part of the site as a later phase of the development.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader of Walsall Council and portfolio holder for Regeneration said, “This is fantastic news for both Willenhall and the wider  Walsall Borough, this is further proof that we are committed to fighting for our district centres, and that developers are prepared to invest in our regeneration plans”

For further information, contact:

Public Relations Department, Dransfield Properties Ltd
Tel: 01226 360644
Email: pr@dransfield.co.uk