Projects: Wednesbury Building Improvement Scheme

This project is part of the Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership and will deliver the first phase of Wednesbury Town Centre Masterplan. 

During previous consultation and engagement sessions, concerns were raised about the condition of buildings in Wednesbury town centre. As the council does not own these buildings, its ability to encourage property owners to undertake upgrades is limited. This challenge was highlighted during  Wednesbury High Street Heritage Action Zone project, which offered grants covering up to 80% of the costs to restore or reinstate heritage buildings within the Wednesbury Conservation Area. However, feedback from property owners indicated that the required 20% match funding was prohibitively expensive for many. 

Fortunately, due to underspend from the site improvement project as part of the Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership Programme we can now use this capital funding to offer 100% grants for priority buildings in need of significant improvements to the frontage of their building. This scheme aims to enhance the overall appearance of the town centre, addressing a key concern raised by residents and stakeholders.  After evaluating a range of options, the Wednesbury Levelling Up Partnership Board approved providing these grants, as this approach will have the greatest positive impact on the town centre.   

Additionally, the council has undertaken a legal review to ensure this scheme complies with subsidy control standards.  

The criteria for choosing the priority buildings are:

• Location – proximity to main shopping streets  
• Enhancement and visual impact – raising the profile of the building in a positive way and increasing attractiveness to visitors  
• Clustering for a consolidated impact – e.g., buildings that can be grouped together  
• Impact on the conservation area – as identified in the Wednesbury Conservation Area Appraisal, e.g., listed building status  

The council is currently working with property owners to further develop this project which is scheduled to start and complete in 2025. We will update this page as projects progress.