Commentary
‘We’re prepared to roll our sleeves up’ – Wolverhampton’s Tim Johnson
When it comes to setting a course for a city, getting the time to deliver is a must, and Tim Johnson’s had that – he’s been at City of Wolverhampton Council since 2013, first as strategic director of place, then deputy managing director, and, since 2018, as chief executive.
On top of this, he represents Wolverhampton at pretty much every table where key decisions are made in the West Midlands: the Combined Authority, West Midlands Growth Company, the Association of Black Country Authorities, and the Black Country LEP.
Reinvention has been a theme in Wolverhampton, with statistics suggesting the city’s visitor economy was worth £458m in 2023, a year-on-year leap of 12.8%. It’s down to improvements in a number of interlinked areas, says Johnson.
Bright lights, big city
He tells Place Midlands: “A big driver for us over the last 10 years has been the reinvention of the city centre. Wolverhampton is a top 20 city, but quite frankly it didn’t feel like that.
“We went into this with a laser focus to change things, and central to that has been increasing city living. But where quite often there’s a bit of a regulation look and feel to that, what we wanted was to work with partners with whom we could deliver something distinctive and contemporary.
“As an example, at Canalside South we’re working with Wavensmere on a great-looking scheme, and the real key here is creating a community, with a real mix of tenures.
“We’re working with ECF at Smithgate, and again they have a track record of creating great places, and of course at St George’s we’re working with Capital&Centric, after holding an architectural competition – they really embraced the idea that what we want are places that knit into the city and stand the test of time.”
Smithgate should bring 1,000 homes to the city. Credit: Muse
There are, says Johnson, 3,000 homes either under construction or on the starting blocks, a solid start on an aspiration to deliver 5,000 city centre homes in the next five years.
Although Wolverhampton is a city of more import than either, there are echoes here of how places like Salford and Stockport have looked at Manchester’s progress, and worked out how to shape their story to get a piece of the action – a complementary, but competitive offer to a more high-profile neighbour.
Investing in culture
The next focus is on developing the visitor economy. Johnson is far from the only senior council official from whom the words “best-kept secrets” have been heard, but there’s definitely an upward trend worth shouting about.
He says: “When we put together some of the assets that we’ve invested in, there’s a fantastic offer here. Around £48m was spent on The Halls, which AEG manages and has become an award-winning venue; the Grand Theatre and art gallery are doing well, and we have a Premier League football club in the city centre.”
The latter point is not to be sniffed at. Increasingly – and to the occasional consternation of old-school fans wary of being priced out – big-time football attracts visitors from around the globe, while home fans from outlying areas and away fans alike are more likely to spend time and money in the city centre if that’s where the club plays, rather than an out-of-town spot. The historic but well-redeveloped Molineux is a huge pull for Wolverhampton.
Jonson continues: “We have a compelling offer, and we’re looking to add to that with better F&B, and continuing to expand the hotel offer. We can see what’s happening with increasing visitor numbers – it’s a really exciting time. We’ve put in a lot of hard yards, and this is now a pivotal moment.”
Jobs, jobs, jobs
Visitor economies are one thing, of course, and can go a long way to sustaining a city, but to secure a solid base for continued prosperity, employment has to be close to front-of-mind. “Securing good jobs” is always the mantra.
Wolverhampton has been performing solidly here. The local authority is one of several in the UK that have forward-funded the type of grade A office development ambitious cities need, but the private sector can sometimes be hesitant to support.
The council invested in i9, pictured here with the Chubb Building. Credit: CoWC
Backing offices at Ion’s £130m Exchange development led to a commitment by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government to base 250 staff at the i9 building in 2021, a decision it followed this month with confirmation of a further 150-200 roles.
Johnson says: “We stimulated office development there, because we could see the connectivity benefits of the location would be popular. That whole area has changed.”
Also critical to job creation is the University of Wolverhampton. Johnson says: “We have a very dynamic university. Higher Education is challenging right now, but Wolverhampton is leading in what it does. It’s not always been a big investor in the city centre, with a tradition of having lots of students living at home, but as that demographic changes, we’re working together more. There’s an interdependent and supportive relationship, in what we see as a critical relationship.
“A new vice-chancellor, Prof Ebrahim Adia, started a couple of years ago, and has been a breath of fresh air. The university is now really developing an international reputation in its areas of strength, such as the built environment.”
Inward investment is always a big question. Wolverhampton will play to its strengths, Johnson said. “We’ve been in danger sometimes of wanting to be all things to all people in the past, but we’ve really focused on our competitive strengths, and how they relate to complementing and working with our partners, such as Birmingham and Coventry.
“We have 12% of the UK’s aerospace sector employed here, advanced manufacturing is a huge area. Health and business services are emerging areas that we’re leaning into. It all plays into our ‘good growth strategy’, and it’s all linked – getting people into work, continuing to train people, developing an everyday economy along with a visitor offer.
Tackling transport
Transport is the other big thing on the checklist for prospective inward investors, and the priority here is improving east-west links, which is where the borough falls short at present.
“Improving east-west links is the key for our wider area and linking up employment. There are two new stations underway in Walsall as an old line is reopened, which will be a huge benefit. The other key thing for us is improving transport to the north, really bringing public transport to the i54 employment area.”
JLR is among the blue-chip names at i54. Credit: CoWC
Developed by the council along with Staffordshire local authorities, i54 has been and continues to be a beacon scheme. Johnson says: “i54’s been a big success story in private sector job creation, with the likes of JLR investing and a really important aerospace cluster coming together.
“But it needs better public transport, so more people can access it – it’s only two or three miles from the city centre and it’s important we look at this now. Higher quality public transport corridors are key.”
The university and i54 combine in another key area for the city, the Green Innovation Corridor, a concept to link assets between the Springfield campus, science park, city centre and i54, which forms part of the wider West Midlands Investment Zone.
Six Mile Green is part of the Green Innovation Corridor. Credit: CoWC
Johnson says: “Predominantly, we’re looking at developing green tech in these assets, and public transport is going to be vital.” Further expansion of the Metro is one option, of course. Johnson acknowledges that light rail is “increasingly expensive,” noting with interest the trials of a lower-intervention Very Light Rail system in Coventry.
Facing the future front-on
For all towns and cities, the government’s housing drive has raised questions. Johnson said: “Wolverhampton’s quite tight, and densely populated – there aren’t big expanses of land. The challenge for cities like ours is we’re dealing with an industrial era legacy that has left us with poor quality industrial property and poor quality residential, cheek-by-jowl.
“The biggest challenge of the next five years is creating a system where we can fund and take forward the reinvention of these areas.”
One brownfield site front and centre of Wolverhampton’s thinking is the Banks’s brewery site, on the edge of the city centre. Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company closed the facility in August, amid its 150th year.
“It’s sad to see, but felt inevitable with the way the brewing industry has gone in recent years,” said Johnson. “What it can represent to us as a city is a fantastic opportunity for a distinctive mixed-use residential-led development.”
As ever, brownfield work is not simple. As Johnson says: “There are often complex ownerships, challenging ground conditions, and more – but if we’re going to get close to 1.5m new homes, we’ve got to grapple with these issues and find a way to deliver brownfield.”
There are high hopes for Canalside South. Credit: Wavensmere
Wolverhampton, for one, is on the front foot. At Wavensmere’s Canalside South site – a former British Steel plant – it turned around the planning application inside eight weeks.
Johnson says: “As a scheme, it’s a great example of what we want to see. It met our standard. We’re a pragmatic partner, prepared to roll our sleeves up – but we’re very clear on what we expect. I see a big part of my role as being that of an enabler, we’re unashamed to say we won’t support things that don’t equal our ambition.
“We’re a big city, and we want to show that we know what we have to offer regionally and nationally. I sense a confidence emerging in the city, and I think developers are attracted to that.”
