Call For Sites

Wildside Activity Centre

Hordern Road Wolverhampton

WV60HA

0.5

0.05

The site is currently used to provide a community education centre with grounds, a large area of hard surface car parking, and access to the Staffs Worcester Canal. It is not proposed to change the use of the building or grounds.

Open Space or Sports Pitches , Community Facilities (including health or education) , Sports / Leisure , Any other use or a more specific proposed use for the site e.g. type of employment or type of open space please specify

The Centre will be able to provide employment on the site.

Mains water supply , Mains sewage , Electricity , Broadband internet

Flood risk / drainage problems , Area of mature woodland / tree preservation order , Protected species / habitats

Some of the site has semi-mature woodland which would only be marginally affected by an extension to the building. Some of the site is in a flood zone making it unsuitable for large scale redevelopment. The site is presently largely covered by a SLINC designation which helps to protect its natural values.

Other

No new infrastructure is needed

Nothing chosen

The Centre presumably had planning permission when it was built in the 1980's and there may be historic permissions dating from its industrial heritage.

Yes

None

3

Charitable type grants will be required as this is is not a commercial proposal.

Yes

The Trustees wish to continue the existing use of the site as a community centre. The Centre has had to change its operating base in recent times from being a Council-led service to become more of a social enterprise. Its ability to survive is dependent on generating income and in the long term this will require some extensions to the existing building, and the concern is that these may be restricted by Green Belt status. In planning terms Green Belt designation seems inappropriate for a site that was previously part of the Courtaulds factory complex and is now more than 50% taken up by a building and hard surface car parking. In this respect the site is as much brownfield as countryside. When assessing the site against the stated aims of the Green Belt in the National Planning Policy Framework there does not seem to be a case for its retention. 1) The location of the Centre is essentially urban green space adjacent to a local nature reserve and in no way would removal of the site from the Green Belt create urban sprawl. Instead allowing the Centre to expand would enable more work to be done to maintain the SLINC and adjacent green spaces. 2) The removal of this small site from the Green Belt would not mean that neighbouring towns merged into each other. 3) In no way would removal of the site from the Green Belt impact on the countryside. 4) There is no question of the existing designation protecting any historic town. 5) The current Green Belt designation actually restricts the urban regeneration of the highly deprived Whitmore Reans neighbourhood in which the Centre is located.

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