The proposed move aligns with the City Centre Local Plan and the Our Future City Centre strategy, which seeks to consolidate car parking and create more space for development and public areas. The plan is awaiting approval from the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet on 18 November and the Scrutiny Board six days later.
Following an expression of interest, the recommended approach is to find a development partner to design, build, and operate the venue, or appoint a third party. This partner would generate a commercial rent under a 25-year lease. The Cabinet will consider approving a direct approach to the market for a development partner, supported by a grant of up to £5.5 million from the council’s Revolving Capital Investment Fund.
Once operational, the venue is projected to attract up to half a million visitors annually, significantly boosting footfall, local employment, and the overall city centre economy. This new space aims to fulfil a long-standing ambition to offer a modern environment for residents, students, and visitors to socialise and enjoy a lively atmosphere, adding a unique offering to the city.
The initiative follows a trend of councils utilising similar venues to revitalise town and city centres, supporting independent businesses, fostering evening economy growth, and creating attractive destinations for younger and family audiences. This new venue would complement Wolverhampton’s expanding evening and night-time economy, directly addressing the region’s first Evening and Night time Economy strategy, which identified a need to enhance the city’s food and leisure options.
An independent market assessment by Leisure Division indicated a strong and growing demand for food hall-style destinations, despite broader challenges faced by traditional food and drink businesses.
“"We’ve wanted to bring a box space to Wolverhampton for a while, and the new preferred route to market with an identified location will speed up the process and enable us to secure a strong development partner. This is a chance to create something really special - somewhere that feels authentically ‘Wolves’, gives people more reasons to spend time in the city centre, and attracts visitors from across the region. Alongside major investment like the £83 million Smithgate development, the transformation of The Halls and huge upgrades to public spaces, safety and lighting, this new venue will help make our city centre an exciting, vibrant place day and night."
