The scheme was given the green light at a meeting of Full Council in July following public consultation on exciting designs for the proposed facility at a series of events at Bilston market, WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams leisure centre, Bilston Urban Village, local GP surgeries and health clinics, and online.

Planners have now approved the proposal to develop the state-of-the-art health & wellbeing facility on the council-owned site, adjacent to the WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams leisure centre and Bilston Urban Village medical centre.

It will be mostly funded from the £20million Government grant the council secured for its transformative Bilston Health & Regeneration Programme in March.

The important community asset will bring together partners and providers from the health, social care and wellbeing and leisure sectors to support around 18,000 residents and will be located conveniently next to WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams leisure centre - connecting it to extensive public space improvements and Bilston’s public transport hub.

It will also act as an anchor within the community, investing in early intervention and prevention, giving access to a campus that builds resilience, integrates and transforms primary and community services and brings care closer to people's homes - connecting people, communities and place.

City of Wolverhampton Council Leader, Councillor Stephen Simkins, said: “Securing outline planning approval is an important milestone in this scheme and the new facility will provide invaluable health and wellbeing services for the local community.

“The feedback we have had from stakeholders, including residents, has been hugely positive and their input has been invaluable in developing plans for what will be an important community asset. 

“The facility will be located where it can benefit the community the most, right in the centre, making it highly accessible and underpinned by investment in high-quality public realm and connectivity.

“We want our traditional local centres to flourish, and this scheme builds substantially on the investment already made in Bilston in recent years.”

Video: A fly-through video of what the new Bilston health & wellbeing facility could look like can be viewed at https://youtu.be/BpgPAq5Xkhg