First ministerial department outside of London opens in Wolverhampton

City of Wolverhampton Council has formally welcomed the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to its new joint headquarters within the eye-catching i9 building at the heart of the city’s commercial district and award-winning transport Interchange.

The new premium Grade A office development, which has received design plaudits and WiredScore Gold accreditation, is now home to the first ministerial department outside of London.

The MHCLG is fitting out its space on the ground and fourth floors, to house hundreds of staff, including ministers and senior civil servants.

The Council is also currently supporting MHCLG with recruitment for new vacancies, including apprenticeships, with over 100 staff recruited so far, 95 into new positions.

Council Leader, Councillor Ian Brookfield, said:

The Council has worked hard to make this happen and we are delighted to formally welcome the MHCLG to i9 and our wonderful city. It is a huge vote of confidence in Wolverhampton.

It’s also a big endorsement of the Council’s ambitious plans to invest in – and develop – a new multi-million-pound commercial district in the heart of the city centre, right next to our new, award winning railway station with its excellent connections to London, Birmingham and Manchester.

The kudos of being the first place outside of Whitehall to host a Government department is creating a real buzz and interest in our city, attracting further investment which is exactly what we want to be able to ‘relight’ Wolverhampton, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.

i9 is located at the heart of Wolverhampton’s new £150million Interchange and is ideally placed to benefit from HS2 which will cut journey times to London and elsewhere dramatically.

The city is also becoming one of the most digitally connected cities in the UK, with 5G and gigabit speed, full fibre broadband being rolled out at pace.

i9 emerged following the success of the award-winning i10 complex on the opposite side of Railway Drive.

The Council and leading property developer, Ion, selected Glenn Howells Architects’ design for i9 as the winner from a strong field of ten UK leading architects and urban design practices in a national design competition.

Completed in August and part-funded by the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the i9 is the next step in developing a thriving commercial quarter at the heart of Wolverhampton Interchange – bringing further investment and jobs to the city.

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