Wolverhampton's £12.5m Depot and Taxi Office Plan Gets Green Light
Ambitious plans for a new £12.5 million depot and taxi licensing office in Wolverhampton have taken a significant step forward, with planning permission officially granted by the City of Wolverhampton Council. This major development will see the relocation of essential council services from their current city centre location to a new site on Hickman Avenue, marking a pivotal moment in the city's ongoing regeneration efforts.
Relocation of Fleet Services and Taxi Licensing
The council has approved its own planning application to construct the new multi-million-pound facility, which will house its entire fleet of bin lorries, gritters, vans, and minibuses. These vehicles are currently based at the existing depot on Culwell Street, which is now slated for demolition. In a parallel move, the city's busy taxi licensing offices will also be relocated from their current premises at the former Loxdale Primary School in Bilston to the new Hickman Avenue site.
This strategic relocation is designed to make council fleet services more efficient while simultaneously freeing up the Culwell Street site for future development. The existing depot will be demolished to make way for the expansive Brewer's Yard development, a large-scale regeneration project that promises to deliver up to 1,300 new flats and homes, alongside commercial spaces for shops, offices, restaurants, and bars.
Supporting Regeneration and Carbon Reduction Goals
A report prepared by the council's planning team highlights the dual benefits of this project. The relocation is expected to create construction jobs and significantly reduce the council's carbon footprint, aligning with its ambitious programme to transition to a fleet of electric vehicles. The new depot will be equipped with electric vehicle (EV) charging points to accommodate the council's growing collection of low-emission vehicles, which includes more than 80 minibuses.
The council has committed to becoming a carbon-neutral authority by 2028 and is actively replacing its 450-strong fleet with electric alternatives. This depot move is a crucial component of that environmental strategy, facilitating the infrastructure needed to support a greener transport network.
Funding and Project Timeline
The £12.5 million contract for the new Hickman Avenue depot will be funded through a combination of sources:
- £5.1 million from the West Midlands Combined Authority
- A £5 million grant awarded to the city as part of the government's Towns Fund
- £1.6 million from taxi licensing revenues
- A loan of £750,000
The planning application was submitted by the council in May, with construction work expected to commence this month and last approximately 12 months. This development replaces earlier plans to revamp the city's 50-year-old wholesale market on the same site, a proposal that was controversially scrapped by the council in 2024 due to financial constraints.
Background and Council Rationale
The council's cabinet initially approved the relocation of the depot from Culwell Street to Hickman Avenue back in 2021. Originally, the plans included a new wholesale market, but the council later determined it could no longer afford the proposed £6 million price tag or the annual running costs of £272,000. In a statement, the council emphasised that there is no statutory requirement to provide accommodation for private businesses and that it would be inappropriate to subsidise profit-making enterprises with taxpayers' money.
Labour council leader Stephen Simkins noted that the wholesale market was operating at a loss of £160,000 per year and was half-empty. Traders were given 12 months' notice to vacate, a period the council stated was longer than the minimum required by their tenancy agreements.
This planning approval represents an important milestone in the regeneration of two strategically significant city sites. According to council planners, the project will deliver substantial benefits in terms of job creation, business opportunities, and new housing, contributing to the broader Brewers Yard city living regeneration masterplan.
