Walsall

The borough of Walsall is located in the north of the West Midlands and is one of the four 'Black Country' boroughs alongside Wolverhampton, Dudley and Sandwell. The borough has a Strategic (Walsall Town) and five District (Aldridge, Brownhills, Bloxwich, Darlaston and Willenhall) Centres. With links to the rest of the country through the M6 motorway / toll and the Walsall Town Centre Railway station.

Whilst some areas are densely populated, over a third of the borough is green belt, with the Beacon Regional Park being one of the largest areas of countryside in the West Midlands.

Walsall is traditionally known for its saddle manufacturing and the Walsall Leather Museum celebrates the history of Walsall, and is home to a wide-ranging collection of artefacts reflecting Walsall’s proud heritage. In contrast and constructed only a few years ago, the New Art Gallery is a modern building and is a must for all art enthusiasts, displaying pieces by legendary artists Van Gogh, Turner and Constable, along with more contemporary pieces, many of which are created by local talent.

Walsall Council and a range of key partners are working together to improve the economic vitality of the borough, with the Walsall Regeneration Company focusing its activity around the development of the Walsall Town centre, complemented by the Council, leading on the design and implementation of Strategic Regeneration Frameworks, (10-15 year visionary plans) for each of our district centres and neighbourhoods.

The Regeneration Frameworks build on and complement the statutory planning frameworks (Unitary Development Plan) and the future Local Development Framework by focusing on projects that will help to deliver sustainable social, economic and environmental regeneration.

A number of current and planned regeneration projects are beginning to transform the centre of Walsall, including; the creation of the Walsall Gigaport, comprising the in excess of 1.5million sq ft of offices and business space.

Walsall Regeneration Company (WRC) assisted by the council are together driving this £400+ million, 1.7 million sq ft scheme, utilising ‘next generation broadband’ and fibre optic technologies to encourage the development of innovative start-up companies, and to provide national and international connectivity to IT-based industries.

Work is now well under way on the new Walsall College Business and Learning campus, which is due for completion in 2009 and represents a key component of Walsall’s regeneration programme, as a vital investment in the skills and knowledge agenda / economy.

The Manor Hospital is undergoing a state-of-the-art £140 million redevelopment and will be constructed over a number of phases to ensure that the hospital remains fully operational with as little site disruption as possible. Outdated buildings will be replaced to provide facilities that will benefit patients and staff with the majority of clinical services located under one roof. The scheme will be completed by 2010.