Major plans to boost centre are step closer
Plans to breathe new life in to Kidderminster town centre with new jobs, homes and leisure opportunities, moved a step closer today when developers unveiled proposals to build more than 33 affordable homes on a prominent central site.
Plans to breathe new life in to Kidderminster town centre with new jobs, homes and leisure opportunities, moved a step closer today when developers unveiled proposals to build more than 33 affordable homes on a prominent central site.
Multi-million pound plans to build a budget hotel, family pub and and a new bowling centre on land off Spennells Valley road were first unveiled in 2007 but have hit a series of delays. The scheme, proposed on the former Victoria Carpets sports field, is now expected to come before planners soon.
It has now prompted a second application to build houses on an associated site.
Victoria Carpets Ltd, in partnership with Abacus Architects, hope to build a a new six-lane bowling centre, a 53-bedroom hotel and a pub on the former sports fields which have stood empty since 2003.
Chester Road Bowling Club hopes to relocate to the Spennells Valley Road site under the proposed scheme - freeing up its current home in Chester Road North for a possible housing development. Wyre Forest Community Housing has now unveiled its own plans for the Chester Road North site.
The housing group has applied to build a total of 33 houses and flats on the bowling club's current site – provided the Spennells Valley Road development goes ahead.
The scheme would include a mix of properties, including family homes and smaller apartments, with 22 being made available for rent while 10 apartments would be offered for sale on a shared ownership basis.
The part ownership deal aims to attract young families and couples who are trying to get on the property ladder for the first time, documents submitted by Wyre Forest Community Housing as part of the planning application reveal.
The document concludes: "This proposal provides affordable housing for Kidderminster and is also part of a larger strategic development aimed at improving leisure and employment prospects for the town."
The proposed new bowling centre would also feature its own bar, lounge, changing rooms, offices and parking for up to 60 cars.
It is expected the whole Spennells Valley Road development could create more than 40 jobs. The Spennells Valley Road field was home to the Victoria Carpets Cricket Club for more than 70 years.
