West Bromwich: welcome back and look ahead!

15th February 2022

Let’s talk about West Bromwich! Last week, Sandwell Council’s cabinet approved plans to regenerate West Bromwich town centre over the coming decades. We’ve also got news of fun events taking place in the town centre as we move into spring.

West Bromwich Masterplan approval 

After a public consultation held in the summer of 2021, the West Bromwich Masterplan and West Bromwich Interim Planning Statement were last week (Wednesday 9 February) given the green light.

Regeneration officers at the council hope that the Masterplan will act as a catalyst for ongoing and new regeneration schemes for West Bromwich – creating further opportunities to boost the town’s economic growth and long-term prosperity.

Feedback from the consultation showed more than 80 per cent of respondents supporting the plan and future regeneration of the town centre.

The Masterplan will create:

• A new Metro gateway plus a new Town Square for events, with high-quality public spaces
• New green links, squares, parks and improvements to the sustainable transport network
• A major mixed-use (residential and employment) to create a vibrant, active and sustainable town centre.

The council expects the Masterplan to generate:

• 1,359 new homes
• £6.6m extra expenditure by new residents in West Bromwich
• 1,740 new jobs
• 12,000m2 of new retail floor space – replacing 30,000m2 of out-of-date and vacant retail floor space
• Significant health, education and community uses
• Improved public transport accessibility.

Welcome back to West Bromwich: events in February and March 

We look forward to seeing the plans come to life for the people and businesses of West Bromwich. In the meantime, why not make your own plans to visit the town? Sandwell Council is welcoming people back to West Bromwich in February and March with a programme of free activities in the town centre and Indoor Market.

The programme has been made possible through the Welcome Back Fund. This fund is providing councils across England a share of £56m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support the safe return to high streets and help build back better from the pandemic.

Every Saturday from 19 February to 26 March (plus every weekday in half term), you can enjoy a range of activities – including circus skills, playing Minecraft, recording your own song in a music production studio, cycling on a ‘Smoothie Bike’, meeting reptiles and the animals from Forge Mill Farm, balloon modelling,  face painting. and a bubble magic show.

See what’s on by visiting www.discoversandwell.co.uk/welcomebacktowestbromwich.