The Black Country Development Corporation was an urban development corporation established in May 1987[1] to develop land in the Metropolitan Boroughs of Sandwell and Walsall in England.
| Formation | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Sandwell, Walsall |
Official language | English |
Chair | Sir William Francis George Carter |
Key people | David Morgan |
Its flagship developments included the Black Country Spine Road. During its lifetime 11.9m sq.ft. of non-housing development and 3,774 housing units were built. Around 21,440 new jobs were created and some £1,150m of private finance was leveraged in. Circa 988 acres (4.00 km2) of derelict land was reclaimed and 24 miles (39 km) of new road and footpaths put in place.[2] The Chairman was Sir William Francis and, subsequently, George Carter and the Chief Executive was David Morgan. It was dissolved in 1998.[3]
The Black Country Spine Road was notable for providing the area around Wednesbury with a dual carriageway as well as reducing congestion on the narrower roads which surrounded it. The new road, which was opened in two phases in 1995, also freed up several square miles of previously inaccessible land which was soon developed for industrial and commercial use.
References
edit- ^ Michael C. R. Davies (1991). Land Reclamation: An End to Dereliction?. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1-85166-658-3.
- ^ National Audit Office report dated 27 February 2002.
- ^ "The Urban Development Corporations in England (Dissolution) Order 1998". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2018.