Walsall Borough Housing Strategy 2026 - Stakeholder engagement – emerging themes, priorities and constraints

The stakeholder engagement process for the new housing strategy revealed a complex landscape of ambitions, challenges, and opportunities, with strong consensus on the need for a joined-up, long-term, and action-oriented approach. Across council teams, registered providers, developers, voluntary sector partners, and residents, several recurring themes and priorities emerged that have shaped the direction of the strategy to 2040. 

Placemaking and town centre focus 

Stakeholders consistently called for ambitious town and neighbourhood-level masterplanning that integrates housing, public realm, transport, green spaces, health, and employment. There was a renewed emphasis on activating the town centre through targeted investment, events and market alongside policies to encourage the regeneration and conversion of the town centre for residential and mixed-use purposes. There was a clear theme of place-led development to boost local pride, attract footfall and investment, and support the development of vibrant, inclusive communities where people want to live. This included a strong focus on walkable neighbourhoods, designed to encourage active travel and easy access to local amenities, making daily life more convenient and sustainable. Additionally, the creation of colourful, visually engaging public spaces through creative architecture, public art, and landscaping was highlighted as a way to foster a sense of identity and belonging. 

Financial sustainability and viability 

A primary concern voiced by stakeholders was the financial sustainability of Walsall’s housing ambitions. Council officers highlighted the need to generate reliable income streams through housing development and regeneration, expanding the council tax and business rates base. Stakeholders emphasised the necessity of robust business cases and scenario planning for investment decisions, avoiding long delays in planning decisions, abortive costs and ensuring value for money. The viability gap, especially on brownfield sites, remains a persistent barrier, exacerbated by high remediation costs and policy misalignment between national and local funding criteria. 

Asset management and strategic use of land 

Effective asset management is widely recognised as essential for delivering housing and regeneration objectives. Stakeholders called for a holistic asset strategy to rationalise surplus assets, finalise comprehensive asset mapping, and proactively release sites for housing or disposal aligned to strategic priorities whilst considering the need/importance of green spaces linked to any development. 

Governance, collaboration, and accountability

Governance structures and collaborative working were noted as both vital enablers and current constraints. Stakeholders described a need for strong programme management and proposed streamlined accountability in decision making. There is a strong appetite to utilise some of the existing good practice from across the council. Regional collaboration with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Homes England is in place and is viewed as essential to be further strengthened to ensure local priorities are not disadvantaged by externally set funding criteria and shifting decision processes. 

Service and maintenance planning 

The engagement process highlighted a need for more forward-looking, proactive service and maintenance planning. Council teams need to bring forward investment cases grounded in future housing and service requirements so that opportunities are not missed. There is consensus that integrating lifecycle planning and engaging service areas in strategic investment decisions would help prevent asset failure and associated reputational risk.

Data, project prioritisation, and action planning 

Robust data and evidence underpinning housing delivery project pipelines and prioritisation were identified as critical yet currently insufficient. Asset and project data can be incomplete, inconsistent, or lacking clarity on outputs or financials, which can impact on the strength of business cases. The need for quality data that is systematic cleansed, integrated, and shared across council functions was repeatedly emphasised as an enabler for effective decision making, prioritisation, and justification of investment. 

Market, investment, and delivery partnerships 

Attracting external investment, including developer, pension fund, and registered provider capital, is considered fundamental to meeting housing needs and enabling regeneration. However, stakeholders cited local market values, site constraints, and fragmented delivery models as significant barriers. There is a clear call for more innovative, flexible partnerships, particularly for specialist and supported housing, and for the council to play an enabling role in packaging land, de-risking sites, and promoting a visible pipeline to the market. The perception that Walsall lacks readiness for investment was identified as a challenge to be actively addressed through improved marketing, streamlined processes, and regular engagement forums. 

Housing quality, energy efficiency, and adaptability 

Improving the quality and energy efficiency of both new and existing housing stock is a shared priority. References to deteriorating existing stock, especially in the private rented sector, were frequent, with concerns over damp, mould, and fuel poverty impacting vulnerable groups. Stakeholders highlighted the challenge of scaling up retrofit programmes given short-term grant funding cycles, landlord resistance, and skills shortages in the supply chain. There is a strong appetite for clear, enforceable standards (e.g., Decent Homes, NDSS, Future Home Standard), and investment in energy efficiency and adaptation-ready homes to support independence and respond to demographic change.

Multiple stakeholders also noted a gap in the current housing offer regarding aspirational homes, recommending a focus on promoting high-quality, market-attractive developments that complement affordable and specialist housing to create balanced and thriving neighbourhoods. 

Health, social wellbeing, and community integration 

Stakeholders highlighted that inclusive, safe, and supportive communities are fundamental to both physical and mental health. They identified the integration of health, housing, and community development including social care as vital for achieving lasting wellbeing outcomes, especially for vulnerable and ageing populations, children with additional needs, and care leavers. Poor links between housing and health services, slow pace of improvement, and gaps in supported and specialist housing provision were cited as barriers to achieving better outcomes. Stakeholders advocated for embedding health and wellbeing in the housing strategy, active design principles, and place-making, alongside targeted interventions to tackle fuel poverty, overcrowding, and community safety concerns. Mitigating extreme weather impacts by ensuring new housing developments contribute to community health and wellbeing were also important. This means considering the profound impact that poor housing can have on physical and mental health, and recognising the importance of housing services in supporting individuals who are already in ill-health.

Inclusive engagement, cohesion, and local voice 

Ensuring inclusive, locality-based planning and genuine community engagement emerged as a strong priority. Stakeholders emphasised the importance of listening to local voices, co-producing solutions with residents, and reflecting the diversity and distinct identities of Walsall’s towns and neighbourhoods. Communication needs to be sensitive and values-based, especially given rapid demographic change. There is a recognised need to build trust, promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and ensure transparent, fair allocation processes particularly for vulnerable, migrant, and minority groups. Stakeholder feedback also highlighted the importance of maintaining ongoing engagement with the Armed Forces community and service charities, in line with the Armed Forces Covenant, to ensure that their needs and priorities are reflected in housing policy and service provision. 28 Building Walsall 2040

Capacity, skills, and delivery constraints

Capacity and skills limitations within council teams, registered providers, and contractor supply chains were repeatedly noted as constraints on delivery. Recruitment and retention challenges, resource limitations, and lack of market certainty hinder both new build and retrofit programmes. Stakeholders called for investment in training, long-term funding certainty, and development of trusted supplier relationships to underpin sustainable delivery. Policy Alignment and Strategic Coordination The complexity of aligning local, regional, and national policy was highlighted as both a challenge and an opportunity. National policy changes (e.g. planning reform, EPC targets) can quickly impact local priorities and delivery models, requiring agility and ongoing review. Stakeholders advocated for modular strategy structure to ensure resilience to political cycles, and for embedding housing as a “golden thread” across council strategies—including health, climate, regeneration, and economic growth.