Vital roadwork is underway in Darlaston to help the Black Country Enterprise Zone release its potential to create thousands of jobs.

The £26 million road scheme to open up the Enterprise Zone is progressing well with tree clearance works about to begin. The roadworks are beginning with clearing verges to widen a major junction in the area and significantly reduce congestion.

Walsall Council leader Councillor Mike Bird said:

“In Darlaston and Pleck we’re improving the road network so that parcels of land can be unlocked for development.

“This will enable us to help businesses create jobs and opportunities in Walsall and we’re helping Walsall people find work.”

The Black Country is made up of a number of sites within Darlaston and Wolverhampton North, spread over 120 hectares.

The area has a strong history of expertise in innovative manufacturing processes and technologies, meaning businesses that choose to invest in the Enterprise Zone will benefit from excellent collaborative research and development opportunities with regional universities, centres of excellence and industry partners.

The Zone expects to create almost 4,000 new jobs by 2015 in the aerospace, automotive and engineering sectors.

The roads will help unlock land in the Black Country Enterprise Zone which can be readied for development more quickly through a simplified planning process.