A major project to transform a highly deprived area of Solihull is set to receive an £8 million funding boost from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The WMCA Investment Board is being recommended to approve the grant for Phase 2 of the Kingshurst Regeneration scheme.
Phase 2 Details
Phase 2 will involve the construction of a new community, health and retail centre, six new houses, and a new vicarage. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026, with completion scheduled for autumn 2028. This follows Phase 1, which saw 25 new affordable homes built in the village centre, completed in September 2024. A third phase will deliver 47 additional affordable homes.
Addressing Deprivation
A report to the Investment Board, meeting on Monday (July 20), states: "The Kingshurst Village Centre Regeneration project will level up a highly deprived community by transforming the village centre of Kingshurst, which is located in the East Birmingham-North Solihull Corridor (EBNS). The project will substantially improve health and community services with the delivery of a well-connected and mixed-use village centre, including a new community, health and retail centre." The report highlights market failures justifying public sector intervention, including WMCA funding.
Strategic Priority
The Kingshurst Regeneration has been a key corporate priority in annual council plans. The need to regenerate the village centre is stated in the 2013 adopted Solihull Local Plan, and the importance of regeneration and new housing is explicit in the new Local Plan submitted for examination in May 2021.
Value for Money
The report notes Phase 2 is considered high value for money, stating: "The Community, Health and Retail building will contribute significantly to the regeneration, health and housing objectives in Kingshurst, accelerating the delivery of the scheme." The funding approval includes conditions, such as obtaining approval from Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council Cabinet on September 17.
