Thursday, December 8, 2022
WOLVERHAMPTON EDITION
NEWS Festive frolics at switch-on Page 5
MOTORING Best markets to visit in an EV Page 26
SPORT Aussie rider to Cook up storm Back page
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INTERCHANGE PLAN DELAYED
Dudley’s new £24million interchange has been delayed as council chiefs battle to thrash out deals for more than a quarter of the site. The scheme, which proposes demolition of the 36-year-old bus station and replacing it with a new site linking bus and Metro services, was granted full planning permission in September. But the work has yet to get under way after it emerged Dudley Council was struggling to secure the rights to around 27 per cent of the site.
Pockets The authority has now engaged compulsory purchase order (CPO) powers in a bid to take control of 28 pockets of land in the area around Birmingham Street, Bourne Street, Fisher Street, St Joseph Street and Trindle Road. They include Farmfoods, which has a lease on its Fisher Street store until 2027, and plots on Birmingham Street owned by Castleview Ltd. Council leader Councillor Patrick Harley said he was confident the land would be secured “quite quickly” and that work was expected to start early next year. A statement accompanying the notice of CPO, said the council had
Report by Peter Madeley
been “unable to acquire all of the interests” in the land despite negotiations starting in 2020. It says that including the existing bus station, the council currently owns approximately 73 per cent of the freehold land required to deliver the scheme. It adds: “Where interests cannot be acquired by private treaty, it is the intention of the council to acquire them using its compulsory purchase powers. “Private treaty negotiations with the holders of those interests are at a stage where offers have been made but agreement has not been reached, such that no real progress is now being made. “The council has, and will continue to consult and negotiate with all third parties that have interests in the order land to acquire their interests and new rights by agreement, but it is clear that compulsory purchase powers will need to be employed to ensure that vacant possession can be achieved, and that the scheme can be delivered.” Councillor Harley said: “I am confident we can conclude this quite quickly.”
Santa run suits charity
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More than 100 firefighters tackled a huge blaze close to Wolverhampton railway station. The fire broke out at a derelict factory at Lower Horseley Fields just after 9pm on Monday. The fire engulfed the entire factory and a major incident was declared around an hour later. More than 20 appliances attended. By 11.10pm, the fire service confirmed: “All nearby trains have been stopped, and a full evacuation of the site has taken place.” Roads were closed and after midnight, there was confirmation that nearby residents could also be evacuated due to the amount of smoke.
Teen killed in M6 pile-up
Runners in Santa suits for the annual Beacon Centre fundraiser More than 200 runners donned Santa costumes to help out a charity. The sight loss charity the Beacon Centre welcomed participants to West Park in Wolverhampton on Sunday for its annual Santa Run. Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor
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Crews tackle factory blaze
Sandra Samuels, got the 5k route under way. Adults received their own Santa suit and medal, while youngsters got a Santa hat and canine participants received their own Beacon bandana. It is hoped that together they will raise more than £5,000.
A 19-year-old woman has been killed in a multi-vehicle crash involving a lorry and three cars on the M6. The teenager, from Dudley, was a passenger in a Volkswagen Polo. The pile-up happened northbound between Junctions 16, for Crewe, and 17, for Sandbach, at about 5.15pm on Friday. The Polo driver and another passenger, both men in their 20s, remain in hospital with serious injuries. An HGV, Peugeot 107 and a BMW were also involved. The HGV driver, a 27-year-old man from Rossendale, Lancashire, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been bailed.
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