Wolverhampton depot will pave way for £250m scheme

Work to deliver a £12.5m hub for City of Wolverhampton Council’s fleet is now under way, unlocking a 1,300-home residential plot elsewhere in the city.

An existing warehouse on Hickman Avenue has already been demolished to make way for the 24,000 sq ft building, which will also become home to the council’s taxi licensing, and passenger transport teams.

Shropshire-based contractor McPhillips was announced as lead contractor for the scheme in October, with demolition and remediation works ongoing since planning permission was awarded for the project in September.

The project is expected to take around 12 months to complete.

Once finished, the development will free up two sites on Culwell Street – set to become a key regeneration site known as Brewers Yard, a 10-acre brownfield site which could become home to 1,300 city houses and apartments, and 60,000 sq ft of new retail and commercial space as part of the city’s Canalside regeneration.

Artist’s impression of the fleet services depot at Hickman Avenue, now under construction. Credit: City of Wolverhampton Council

McPhillips director, Andrew Dunham said the project would help the council centralise its fleet services and clear a path for a key regeneration scheme elsewhere in the city.

“Once this facility is built, the council can move its services across and get on with building new homes on the land they leave behind,” he said.

“That means more homes, more construction work and more jobs for local businesses and local people. The building itself will also help the council run a cleaner and more sustainable fleet.

“This is the kind of public sector work we want to be doing. We look forward to working closely with the council and its staff to deliver a facility that serves Wolverhampton for many years to come.”

Early illustrations of a planned residential-led scheme at Brewers Yard were released in 2023. Credit: City of Wolverhampton Council

Outline plans for the demolition of the existing Culwell Street depot were approved in 2023, with a planned 600-home first phase regeneration scheme lined up for the site.

Cllr Qaiser Azeem, City of Wolverhampton Council cabinet member for resident services, said the project would ensure the sustainability of the council’s frontline services.

“As well as rationalising the council’s estate, this is also a critical step in bringing forward the regeneration of a strategically important brownfield site through the Brewers Yard scheme to deliver huge benefits in terms of jobs, investment and homes that will help rejuvenate our city centre,” he added.

Plans and documents relating to the application can be found on the city council’s planning portal using reference: 25/00594/FUL