Sandwell Council launches Wednesbury Town Centre Masterplan: have your say

28th May 2024

Residents, businesses and community groups can have their say on the draft Wednesbury Town Centre Masterplan.

Sandwell Council has launched the Wednesbury Town Centre Masterplan and would like to hear your opinion. The consultation provides an opportunity for community members to actively participate in the planning and development of the town centre. 

Town Centre Masterplan: share your ideas

By sharing their ideas and concerns, residents and people who work in Wednesbury will play a role in creating a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable town centre for generations to come.

The masterplan is a document that will guide how the town centre changes over the next 10-15 years. It help the council with decision-making about how that will happen. 

The council wants to ensure that the town centre thrives and is ready to meet the challenges faced. Challenges include those produced by climate change, as well as economic and behavioural changes in the future. 

A master plan sets out the priority projects in the town centre. It is a useful tool that will help access funding from the covernment for improvements and regeneration.

Future vision for Wednesbury

The Council recently asked for your views on your priorities for upcoming improvements to Wednesbury town centre. Using these views, it has drafted the following vision for the town centre:

“The town centre will be strengthened as the vibrant heart of Wednesbury. A historic Black Country market town with a proud heritage, and a contemporary place where people live and work which supports the needs and wellbeing of local communities.”

Based on the feedback that was received, the following aims have been developed :

1. A welcoming and inclusive town centre
2. A well-connected place which is easy to get to and around
3. A transformed local environment with better quality public spaces that people will want to spend time in
4. A consolidated and strengthened retail offer with a greater range of shops
5. A diverse mix of land uses including higher density residential development
6. An active and vibrant place in the daytime and evening.

Have your say

Everyone can have their say on the draft document from Tuesday 7 May until Tuesday 11 June. 

People can complete an online survey via the Consultation Hub or drop into Wednesbury Library. Attend the following public engagement events to see the draft document and discuss it with the officers working on the project. 

The next event is:

• Saturday 1 June, 10am – 12pm at Morrisons in Wednesbury.

Levelling Up

This consultation is part of the Levelling Up Partnership, which is a programme of investment in Wednesbury. Some of the investment is going towards kick-starting improvements in Wednesbury town centre. Work will soon start on public realm improvements. 

The Levelling Up Partnership will also help Sandwell Council deliver new homes, help tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, and improve green spaces. The Millennium Centre will be expanded to provide a space so that more can be done to give people the skills they need to secure better jobs. 

The Levelling Up Partnership builds upon regeneration and plans in place to deliver ambitious projects for Wednesbury with £20.4m investment.

Sandwell Council has set up a partnership board to oversee the Levelling Up Partnership. Chair of the Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership Board, Maria Jardine said:

“I am looking forward to hearing the views of people that visit, live and work in Wednesbury on the draft Masterplan. The Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership Board wants to make sure that Wednesbury goes from strength to strength and to do that we need the whole community to be part of this vision and consultation.”

To find out more about the Levelling Up Partnership and the projects for Wednesbury, visit Sandwell Council’s consultation hub and regeneration website.