£20 MILLION infrastructure work has begun on the West Works Site in Longbridge.

The 75 acre site, which was formerly home to the MG Rover car plant, will be transformed into Longbridge Business Park creating 5,000 jobs.

This stage of investment is the next step in the £1 billion regeneration of Longbridge by property developer St. Modwen and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA.)

Longbridge Business Park will host advanced manufacturing, research and development and health and science businesses as well as a new residential neighbourhood of 350 homes.

Rob Flavell, senior director for regeneration in the Midlands and North for St. Modwen, said: “The West Works site is a vital piece of the ongoing regeneration of Longbridge Town Centre and to see the first spades in the ground is a huge milestone for the area.

“Our plans for West Longbridge signify our key objectives for the wider redevelopment of Longbridge – creating an amazing place with modern working environments, high-quality homes and attractive public spaces which will bring wide ranging benefits to those who live, work or visit the area.

“This first phase of infrastructure works will help us to accelerate the delivery of the site. We’ve already been receiving strong enquiries from high-quality, renowned businesses for the commercial spaces and we’re looking forward to working with prospective occupiers to create environments which will produce jobs for local people and contributions to the local economy.”

Bromsgrove Advertiser: St. Modwen has overseen the regeneration of around half of the wider Longbridge works which it bought in 2003. Pic: St. Modwen. St. Modwen has overseen the regeneration of around half of the wider Longbridge works which it bought in 2003. Pic: St. Modwen.

Other improvement works include a new green way along the River Rea, allowing the river to be opened up to the public via new footpaths and cycle routes connecting West Longbridge and Rubery to Longbridge Town Centre.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street, said: “One of my election pledges was to create 100,000 new jobs for the region over the next two years, and regeneration of derelict industrial sites is going to be critical to achieving that.

“That’s why we are using the money we have secured from Government to transform sites like Longbridge West Works into thriving new workplaces and communities.

“The regeneration of this once iconic site is a first-class example of how we are bringing brownfield sites back into use, creating thousands of jobs and homes as well as new, modern industrial spaces.

“The pandemic has hit this region hard but by investing in our future in this way and in the type of hi-tech, green industries that will be based at the new Longbridge Business Park, I am confident we can recapture our pre-pandemic success and drive an economic recovery that benefits all our communities and the environment.”

Once all work is completed in Longbridge, it is expected to create up to 4,000 new homes, two million square feet of commercial development and 10,000 jobs.

The first phase of works is expected to be complete by the end of the year.