Work started on £100 million Walsall manufacturing and logistics hub

Construction work started this month on the new £100m SPARK manufacturing and logistics hub in Walsall, with the scheme set to create around 1,000 jobs once completed.

The former James Bridge Copper Works in Walsall, which closed down in 1999, has been described as the Black Country’s "largest undeveloped brownfield site". The project received a multi-million-pound investment from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) through a partner organisation to enable its remediation.

Now, the WMCA says the 44 acre site has been cleared and cleaned ahead of work starting on the first phase of the new logistics hub which will eventually deliver a total of 620,000sq ft. of high-spec space within the Midlands’ manufacturing and logistics heartland.

Richard Parker, Mayor of West Midlands, said: “For more than two decades this site in Walsall has lay derelict and abandoned. But now, following a multi-million-pound investment, it will be a site open for development – bringing in businesses, investment and jobs.

“This former copper works, once a place of heavy industry, is being transformed into a site ready to house modern manufacturing and logistics companies in the region. It will create hundreds of valuable jobs, but most importantly, it will be a catalyst for economic growth in the region.”

The authority says the first two units will be ready for occupation later this year.

Cllr Adrian Andrew, Associate Leader of Walsall Council, said: “It’s inspiring to see the remarkable progress that has been made at SPARK and to see buildings starting to come out of the ground. Discussions around remediating the site started over 2 decades ago so it’s fantastic to see how far we’ve come.

"SPARK is a substantial regeneration scheme for the West Midlands and it will attract significant investment to our borough which will have a broader impact across the Black Country and wider region.

"Initiatives like this not only revitalise once-derelict land, but also create opportunities and jobs for our local communities. This has been a true partnership approach to resolving these issues with HBD, Homes England, Walsall Council, West Midlands Combined Authority and the former Black Country LEP.”