WIREDGOV

Major funding will improve access to key jobs site in Walsall. 

Employment sites in Walsall – expected to generate hundreds of jobs for the town – will benefit from better traffic access thanks to £14 million in government funding, Local Transport Minister Baroness Kramer announced yesterday (11 September 2014).

Darlaston is currently an industrial area which is hard to access because of outdated road infrastructure.

The building improvements will significantly improve vehicle and pedestrian access to large land sites suitable for development in Darlaston, and boost investment in the area. The sites are a major component of the regeneration strategy for Darlaston, Pleck and Bentley.

Baroness Kramer said:

Darlaston is the focus of some of Walsall’s most significant urban regeneration proposals.

The plans I am announcing today will take land which is currently unused and unproductive, and transform it into a major centre for economic growth and employment, creating thousands of jobs and helping drive long term economic growth.

The highway improvements at the Darlaston strategic development area will significantly improve access at 4 locations:

• Bentley Road South
• Bentley Mill Way
• ‘Brown Lion’ junction
• the Junction of Bescot Road and Wallows Lane

The main works are due to start in September 2014 with completion in February 2016. The Department for Transport will provide up to £14.3 million towards the full project cost of £25.9 million.