Permission granted for multi-million pound redevelopment of Walsall town centre

Planners have given permission for a row of four shops in the town’s main pedestrian area to be demolished to make way for a new public square connecting the bus station to the council-owned Saddlers Centre and the railway station.

It forms part of the Connected Gateway development which will create a large pedestrian concourse to replace the narrow Butler’s Passage alleyway.

It will see the demolition of four shop units in the pedestrianised Park Street, including a locally-listed 1920s building, at present occupied by a Subway sandwich shop and a mobile phone shop. The neighbouring Fonehub – formerly Halifax and Card Factory shops will also be demolished, while the building occupied by Holland & Barrett will be renovated. 

The wider scheme will also see a new frontage for the shopping centre, and an improved walkway to create a direct line of sight between the bus station and the railway station.