Illustrative northern English town square at dusk

Area

Regeneration in Sandwell

Sandwell's regeneration covers Friar Park, Swan Lane and three Pride in Place neighbourhoods, with funding routes explained.

Research checked

The place

Sandwell's regeneration spans its six towns, led by the Friar Park Urban Village on a long-derelict former waste and foundry site in Wednesbury, the Swan Lane scheme on a former gas works in West Bromwich, the wider West Bromwich town centre masterplan and site assembly in Smethwick.

Who decides and delivers

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is the planning authority for local housing need and the accountable body for both Pride in Place programmes and their Impact Fund. The Friar Park Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board and the Smethwick Partnership Board shape and sign off their respective plans, alongside the West Midlands Combined Authority's regional priorities and devolved housing funds. Development partners under contract include Keepmoat at Friar Park and GreenSquareAccord with Morro Partnerships at Swan Lane.

What each edition tracks

Each quarterly edition tracks progress at Friar Park and Swan Lane, the West Bromwich masterplan and the borough's three Pride in Place boards. This edition is dated to 19 September 2026, the day its research was checked.

Current edition

Q3 2026

As at 19 September 2026

Funding, places and delivery. A briefing for the organisations bringing forward homes and regeneration across Sandwell's six towns. Research checked 19 September 2026.

Regeneration projects in Sandwell

Sandwell's largest live housing site is the Friar Park Urban Village in Wednesbury, a former waste plant, foundry and hospital site derelict for over forty years. Swan Lane in West Bromwich is delivering new homes for social and affordable rent on a former gas works, close to the wider West Bromwich town centre masterplan around a new Metro gateway. In Smethwick, Levelling Up Fund money is being used to acquire and prepare development-ready sites.

Construction and housing funding in Sandwell

National funding and contractual decisions sit with Homes England and the National Housing Bank, while the West Midlands Combined Authority sets regional priorities, tenure mix and devolved housing and land funds through its Single Commissioning Framework. Sandwell holds a Pride in Place allocation in each of the programme's three national cohorts, at Friar Park, Tividale and Smethwick, each with its own ten-year plan, alongside a separate Impact Fund. Local investment calls, including the Levelling Up Fund and the Towns Fund, support individual town-centre sites.

Who decides regeneration in Sandwell

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council holds planning authority for local housing need and answers to government for both Pride in Place programmes and their Impact Fund. The Friar Park Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board, the Tividale Neighbourhood Board and the Smethwick Partnership Board each shape and sign off their own plans. Keepmoat is delivery partner at Friar Park, and GreenSquareAccord with Morro Partnerships at Swan Lane.

New Square and the High Street, West Bromwich Illustrative visualisation, AI-generated; adapted from a photograph by Stephen McKay, CC BY-SA 2.0

Questions about regeneration in Sandwell

What regeneration is happening in Sandwell?
Sandwell's regeneration centres on the Friar Park Urban Village in Wednesbury, a long-derelict former waste and foundry site, the Swan Lane scheme on a former gas works in West Bromwich, the wider West Bromwich town centre masterplan, and site acquisition in Smethwick funded by the Levelling Up Fund.
How is construction and housing funded in Sandwell?
Sandwell's schemes draw on Homes England national grants, West Midlands Combined Authority devolved housing and land funds through its Single Commissioning Framework, three separate Pride in Place neighbourhood allocations with an accompanying Impact Fund, and local calls such as the Levelling Up Fund and Towns Fund.
Who leads regeneration in Sandwell?
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is the planning authority and accountable body for Pride in Place across its three neighbourhoods, Friar Park, Tividale and Smethwick, each with its own board. Keepmoat delivers Friar Park, and GreenSquareAccord with Morro Partnerships delivers Swan Lane.

The Sandwell handbook

Planning and building-regulations guidance for the area, published separately.

Read the handbook

Directory inclusion

Local suppliers can enquire about a listing in a future edition.

About directory inclusion

All West Midlands areas All editions, by region