Regeneration
Demolition of former Legge factory in Willenhall begins
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Demolition started in Willenhall in January as part of a major Council-led scheme to get rid of derelict and disused brownfield land and make way for new homes.
The next building to be knocked down is the former Legge factory on Moat Street.
The Legge factory dates back to the 1800s and was once a thriving lock maker. By the mid-1990s, Legge was recognised as one of Willenhall’s major lock-making firms and it employed around 400 people before becoming part of the Ingersoll-Rand group making architectural furniture.
The factory closed and has remained empty and decaying since the early 2000s and has been the centre of antisocial behaviour, including arson attacks causing severe structural damage. Despite its prosperous past the privately owned factory was left to rot, creating an eyesore and a blight on the community, until now.
“ Being from Willenhall I’ve made it my mission to get rid of these eyesore derelict buildings and restore some pride in our town. The Legge factory is really the one that started it all; it’s a huge site that’s been left to rot for far too long and has been a real blight on the community.
It’s been a long road to get to where we are today, I started lobbying to focus on Willenhall as a priority for investment back in 2015. Attracting the required funding, and then going through the legal process to purchase the site and bring it forward for development has taken a long time. Thanks to skilled council officers and our partnership with Keepmoat, I’m very proud to say that the Legge factory is finally being demolished to make way for new homes for our community.” “
Following an extensive Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), which completed in 2025, Walsall Council has taken ownership of a number of sites including derelict factories that have been the centre of antisocial behaviour in recent years. The CPO area includes properties on Moat Street, Villiers Street, Newhall Street, Temple Bar, Cemetery Road and Stafford Street.
The plan will see these sites cleared up and transformed into much-needed homes for general market sale across a broad affordability range, helping the Borough of Walsall to achieve Government-set future housing targets whilst reducing antisocial behaviour and creating a more welcoming, clean, safe community for local people.
