Supporting Local People and Places

West Midlands Interchange is about far more than construction, it’s about creating real opportunities and a lasting legacy for local people. Since 2022, our emphasis on social value has meant that:

  • Hundreds of local students and young people have secured work placements and apprenticeships, unlocking new career pathways.
  • Project investment has been channelled back into the region to support local businesses and supply chains.
  • Local charities, sports clubs, and shared spaces have benefitted from funding, staff volunteering, and practical support.

 

Working in partnership with local people, we are proud to help build stronger communities and brighter futures across the region.

Click here to read our social value impact report: WMI Social Value Impact Report 2022-2025

In partnership with:

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Community Fund

As part of WMI’s commitment to support local community projects, a £65,000 funding stream was allocated to those within a 3-mile radius of the site, covering the following parish locations:

  • Brewood and Coven
  • Penkridge
  • Huntington and Hatherton
  • Shareshill
  • Saredon

 

The first tranche of the community fund has now been fully allocated. Over its duration, the fund backed a wide variety of grassroots initiatives. This included funding for:

  • Local youth sports clubs to promote inclusive physical activity
  • Road safety and traffic-calming measures for the community
  • Enhancements to local community hubs including repairs, maintenance and signage
  • Specialised outdoor wellbeing programmes
  • Benches and community memorials

 

To find out more about how the community fund was allocated, click here.

Community Parks

To support healthier, stronger communities, two new community parks will be built and maintained, spanning 109 acres (44 hectares) in total.

The parks will feature three dedicated fitness trails measuring 1km, 3km, and 5km, alongside over 5,000 metres of footpaths. This extensive network includes 2,500m of footpaths at Calf Heath, 1,600m at Croft Lane, and a 1,350m path connecting Calf Heath Park directly with the canal and link road.

Designed to connect key areas and encourage visitors to explore, accessible routes will be provided for all users – ranging from paved, wheelchair-friendly paths to mown trails for dog walkers. The spaces will also offer natural play areas constructed using recycled timber from the site, as well as dedicated seating areas with benches and picnic spots.

Working closely with leading environmental and ecology consultancies, Delta-Simons and FPCR, WMI is working to ensure that the area’s natural habitats are not only protected, but actively enhanced.

This includes creating more than 18 hectares of additional woodland, planting new trees and hedgerows, and retaining approximately 12 hectares of farmland to the south of the development, providing a habitat for farmland birds.

You can view the draft plans for Calf Heath and Croft Lane below:

Calf Heath
Croft Lane