Proposed warehouse among plans for green space

A move to build a distribution centre on a green space in Wolverhampton is set to be decided by councillors.

The proposed warehouse would be built on land off Neachells Lane on the edge of Wolverhampton along with other plans to build offices, more than 300 parking spaces and 60 lorry parking bays.

The 31-acre (12.5-hectare) site is next to St Matthias School's playing fields, a railway line and the Strawberry Lane Industrial Site.

The former coal mine was later used as a landfill site and then as a public open space in the 1990s.

The site is classed as a site of local importance for nature conservation and was included as part of an "urban forest" project across the Black Country in the early 2000s, designed to increase urban tree planting and create more woodlands for public use.

The plans submitted by Goold Estates more than a year ago will be decided by City of Wolverhampton Council's planning committee at a meeting on 21 January.

Several objections were submitted against the plans with concerns over the loss of green space and the potential for increases in congestion and crashes in the area.

Some objectors said the remaining green space would be "minimal" and "practically unusable".

Questions were also raised over whether a huge distribution centre could be built elsewhere, given the number of empty and dilapidated warehouses off Willenhall Road and in the surrounding area.

A report by the council's planning officers, which recommended the scheme be approved by councillors, said the distribution centre's "significant" financial investment and the jobs which would be created outweighed the loss of green space and the environmental impact.

The impact on local roads would also not be severe, the report added.

To account for the loss of the green space, if the plans are approved, a legal agreement will be made which would see £150,000 put towards a new children's play area in Stowlawn and £550,000 for East Park.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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