Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council (WMBC) and Homes England (HE) (the Landowners) are seeking to secure the remediation and redevelopment for employment purposes of 2 adjoining sites known as James Bridge and Alumwell located in Darlaston, Walsall. The site together are known collectively at Phoenix 10 and total approximately 16.5 hectares.
The Landowners have been working together to secure the remediation and development of the Phoenix 10 site and have agreed a collaboration agreement between the two parties which governs the procedural basis for joint working to deliver the project.
Bringing such a large area of land back into productive use will make a significant positive contribution to Walsall‘s employment land supply and make an important contribution to economic growth and employment in the borough while also enhancing the local environment.
In 2012, Phoenix 10 was confirmed by Government as part of the Black Country Enterprise Zone (BCEZ),with the Black County Local Enterprise Partnership (BC LEP) able to retain all business rates from the EZ for investment in its local priorities. The BCEZ provides a mechanism for WMBC and BC LEP to support the development of the site through a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) based delivery model. WMBC is also able to use prudential borrowing to provide funding to support schemes with expenditure reimbursed by the BC LEP.
It should be noted that Phoenix 10 is the priority site for the BC LEP due to the scale of the opportunity the site presents and its contribution to economic growth objectives as expressed in the Black Country Strategic Economic Plan (BC SEP).
The James Bridge site was the former IMI copper refinery which closed in 2000, was demolished in 2004 and acquired by Advantage West Midlands in 2007 who also took on responsibility for all environmental liabilities associated with the site. It transferred to HE in September 2011 as part of the closure of Regional Development Agencies. A planning application for the provision of a capping layer to the site surface and the erection of boundary fencing is currently being determined (ref: 15/0429/FL0). The Alumwell site was formerly used as a domestic and industrial refuse tip prior to the introduction of the licensing requirements in the 1974 Control of Pollution Act. The site, which is in the ownership of the WMBC, is currently capped and grassed over.
Site investigations were undertaken on both land parcels in 2010 and the results of these are contained in 2 factual reports. The sites together contain approximately 240 recorded mineshafts and have a range of contamination issues associated with their historic uses. On the James Bridge site, the main issue of contamination is contaminated groundwater that remains in a plume within the former mine workings beneath the site.