i54 expansion could bring 2,700 new jobs
Thousands of jobs are in the pipeline as part of a planned expansion of the i54 business park.
The sprawling site near the Shropshire border, which is already home to Jaguar Land Rover, is poised to grow even bigger with a 100-acre extension delivering up to 2,700 more jobs.
A planning application for a western extension is set to be submitted in the spring to South Staffordshire District Council for the development of the first 60 acres of land – owned by Wolverhampton council – between Wobaston Road, Pendeford Hall Lane and the current i54 site. This would deliver an estimated 1,500 jobs in high value manufacturing and a million sq ft of space.
The other 40 acres, currently owned by Severn Trent’s Midlands Land Portfolio, is to be part of a separate application at a later date.
A public drop-in exhibition about the development proposals is being held in Fordhouses Cricket Club in Wobaston Road on Thursday, March 1, from 10am to 7.30pm.
If planning permission is obtained the site will be marketed to find developers. The whole site could be for one major business or for a mixture of developers. The i54 Western Extension would be accessed via the new junction off the M54 that was built to serve the Jaguar Land Rover engine manufacturing centre. The extension will also use the existing infrastructure and a new access road – with bus services – would be built by the county council from the original business park to the extension site with no access from Wobaston Road or Pendeford Hall Lane.
The existing i54 has already created 2,500 jobs and that will increase to 4,600 over the next couple of years
Councillor Philip Atkins, leader of the county council, said the i54’s success had been “outstanding”.
“With the i54 built up so quickly it shows there is demand for sites like this in the area. This site will be important locally, regionally and nationally.”
“We are looking to deliver high value better paid jobs through this project,” he explained.
Wolverhampton council cabinet member for city economy, Councillor John Reynolds, said: “i54 is one of the UK’s premier advanced manufacturing business parks. Our joint investment at i54 has secured hundreds of millions of pounds of further investment and has brought thousands of jobs to the area with circa 40 per cent of employers living within a 10-mile radius.“Demand is high for more accommodation from potential investors and the western extension will enable us to deliver that for the benefit of local residents and businesses.”
Councillor Atkins said: “i54 South Staffordshire will play a vital part in the Midlands Engine and in the growing productivity of Staffordshire and out neighbours.”
The district council had recognised the need for the extension and following extensive consultation last year has made provision for it in the new Local Plan Site Allocation Document, which is hopes to adopt this summer.
The council partners hope to attract £600 million of private investment to the extension. More than £1 billion has already been invested at i54 by major businesses including JLR, Moog, Eurofins, ERA and Tentec.
The partners also aim for the extension to have minimal impact on wildlife with a green landscape buffer to Pendeford Hall Lane and a landscaped area to provide new habitats and replace trees lost from Shooting Pit Wood.
Planning permission will be dependent on a satisfactory environmental impact assessment.
There would also be a new footpath link to Wobaston Road and the Middle Lane Bridleway will be diverted around the northern boundary of the extension
Residents and businesses can view proposals for the extension online at www.i54online.com and will be able to lodge their views via an online survey.
