As demand for office space spreads from London to the regions, local authorities have channelled funds and energy into examining increased possibilities for new developments. This has seen work begin on the demolition of Walsall’s Albion Tannery this week, creating space for the construction of the £400 million Gigaport project.
The three storey former tannery building and adjacent 7 Hatherton Street unit will be flattened over the next eight weeks, allowing the local authority to market the site as an excellent development opportunity for prospective developers. This will see the adjacent Albert Street closed for the duration of the demolition works to prevent public access to the work space.
Although no contractors have yet been appointed to work on this aspect of the Gigaport scheme, which will bring 127,000 square metres of office and business space to Walsall’s main ring road, a planning application has been lodged to transform the 7 Hatherton Street site into a temporary car park for the project’s duration. Councillors hope that the clearance of the large tannery site, which will form a key part of the Walsall business corridor, will attract interest from developers keen to play a role in this pivotal project.
Portfolio holder for regeneration and transport, Councillor Adrian Andrew, says; “These buildings have been derelict for a number of years and the longer the site remains undeveloped, the more these properties are going to fall further into disrepair and no developer will want to buy them.
“The site is ideally placed as an exciting development opportunity within the Gigaport corridor.
“I want to thank the previous owners for working with the council so that we can create a development opportunity to create jobs for Walsall, which is one of our top priorities.”
While the future of the site remains unconfirmed as yet, there has been significant progress elsewhere in the Gigaport corridor. Construction work for the new Sports and Business Hub for Walsall College, costing around £11 million, is due to begin later this month, with the former tannery site’s neighbour expected to create around 250 new jobs altogether.
Meanwhile, at the nearby junction of Hatherton Street and Littleton Street, it has been confirmed that Jhoots Pharmacy will soon begin preparation works for their new £3.2 million headquarters. This demonstrates the firm’s faith in Walsall, and will create a further 30 jobs within the local area.
Known officially as the Gigaport Business Quarter, the scheme was originally given the green light in late 2008. Since then, the council has been working to secure interested developers and prospective tenants, with remedial work on the site having officially begun in April of this year.
The Gigaport scheme will undoubtedly prove to be one of the most exciting regeneration projects undertaken within Walsall, buoying the local economy and breathing life back into derelict sites. And with demolition work now underway, the time might be ripe for developers to step in and grab a piece of the action.
