Housing scheme at sport site is revived

Plans to transform a sports ground in Oldbury into a housing estate are being resurrected, five years after similar original proposals were unveiled.

The new application for 191 new homes by Morris Homes to transform the old Accles & Pollock sports pitch in Brades Road has been resubmitted to Sandwell Council.

The site was formerly a clay pit which was filled in during the 1960s and early 70s. But the initial application was criticised after environmental chiefs identified the land as contaminated after gas escaped from the site and seeped into nearby homes.

Additional hazards include a potentially unstable slope leading up to Ashtree Road where there have been underground fires. Fears about possible mineshafts in the centre of the plot and a possible link with Gower Tip enabling contamination to pass through the ground water were also identified.

Councillor Mahboob Hussain, who represents the ward, said: "The problems and the concerns are still there and they are still valid."

A public consultation on the new plans has now been launched and people are being asked contact the council with any concerns or comments.