Decision details

The board considered a report of the interim Executive Director of Housing, Property and Regeneration that sought approval of grant funding from the Brownfield Infrastructure and Land Fund to support the construction of the Midland Metropolitan Hospital Learning Campus.

The interim Executive Director of Housing, Property and Regeneration, John Godfrey, reported that the scheme is already in receipt of public funding from Sandwell’s town funding and the NHS Trust and WMCA funding was needed to enable the scheme to proceed.

He advised that whilst the scheme does not provide any direct housing outputs, the Learning Campus would unlock housing as part of the Grove Lane Masterplan and informed the board of the good intervention rate per unit.

Resolved that:

1.     A WMCA grant of up to £5,170,880 to support the construction of the Midland Metropolitan Hospital Learning Campus be approved;

2.     The project has been ‘paused’ by the Applicant until the status of the WMCA grant has been determined be noted;

3.     Whilst the Learning Campus does not provide direct housing outputs there are strong indirect benefits to housing delivery in the Grove Lane Masterplan area, as well as to the provision of NHS key worker housing including potentially on the WMCA’s Abberley Street site, as well as synergistic benefits to the housing and training funded by the WMCA with Sandwell and St Basils be noted and

4.     The proposed WMCA funding pot is the Brownfield Infrastructure and Land Fund (BILF) and this project is eligible under BILF be noted.