Wavensmere Homes is 12 months into the five-year regeneration and development programme for its £150m Wolverhampton Canalside South scheme. Houses will become ready for occupation this summer, with completions scheduled to take place every month from June 2026 onwards.
Work started on site in early 2025, with over £20m already invested on land assembly and remediation, site enabling, groundworks and construction. The first 120 two- and three-bedroom houses are at various stages of construction, with roofs being installed from February.
Having previously lain derelict for 15 years, Wavensmere is transforming the former British Steel site and Crane Foundry into 533 energy-efficient homes, complemented by a range of new commercial and community amenities. The regional distribution and stockholding centre had stood empty since the collapse of British Steel in 2019.
James Dickens, managing director of Wavensmere Homes, said: “The demand for the houses and apartments at Canalside South is unprecedented, so our production team and specialist contractors are regenerating and redeveloping this site in the most efficient timeframe. Following six months of intensive groundworks to prepare the land, the construction programme has been progressing at pace. 60 houses will be completed and occupied by the end of 2026.
“Close to 2,000 people have already registered their interest for one of these homes. We will launch the development in the coming months, to enable purchasers to choose their preferred plot at the off-plan stage and get their mortgage in place.”
The Canalside South site was established through a partnership between City of Wolverhampton Council and the Canal & River Trust, and is located off Qualcast Road, moments from the transport interchange. Benefiting from a prime waterside position, it enjoys frontage onto both the Wyrley & Essington Canal and the Wolverhampton Branch of the Birmingham Main Line Canal.
Councillor Chris Burden, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, said:
“The last time I visited this site, it was in the groundworks stage. Having a tour with the site team to see the progress and walk along the roof level of the first terraces of houses was wonderful.
“We could not be more delighted with how our chosen developer for this site, Wavensmere Homes, has brought this scheme forward. By the end of the summer, there will be over 100 residents living in these energy efficient new homes – on a brownfield site that had previously been derelict for many years.
“This is one of the largest new housing developments in the Midlands, creating hundreds of jobs for local people, and shows how the council – working collaboratively with the private sector – is making a real difference for city residents.”
Wolverhampton Canalside South is being delivered in three phases – progressing sequentially from east to west – to minimise disruption to the surrounding community. There are a total of 153 houses within the first phase of the development. Access to the first two phases will be provided via Qualcast Road, which will function as the primary spine road. The full regeneration and build programme is projected to complete by the end of Q2 2030.
This development is one of the biggest regeneration projects of its kind in the region. The overall vision for the Wolverhampton Canalside masterplan is the delivery of around 1,000 homes to meet both the city and wider region’s housing needs, with sustainability and place-making at its heart.
Designed by Glancy Nicholls Architects, the low-rise development emulates the surrounding conservation area and maximises the canalside setting. On completion, the scheme will include seven acres of vibrant green space and open up a new pedestrian route to the city core – reducing the previous walk time by 20 minutes – and igniting new investment into a commercial corridor.
All two-and three-bedroom townhouses are being constructed to an EPC-A rated specification, complemented by 145 one-and two-bedroom apartments and 60 co-living apartments. Over 130 dwellings will benefit from direct waterside views. Wavensmere is also reanimating the disused railway arches on the site into 1,338sqm (14,400 sq ft) of lettable commercial space.
All homes are being future-proofed with electric only heating systems. A range of technologies will be utilised across the development, consisting of air source heat pumps, solar panels and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR). There will also be EV charging to each house or parking space, alongside an array of EV chargers for visitors.
Birmingham-headquartered Wavensmere Homes has 3,500 homes on site, or currently in planning. The company is constructing an additional six other major brownfield regeneration schemes, located in central Birmingham, Derbyshire, Cheltenham, and Ipswich, and has further projects in the immediate pipeline.
To view the plans, visit https://www.wavensmere.co.uk/sites/canalside/