Wordsley canalside homes plan revealed

A canalside housing estate will be built next to a proposed £5 million glass museum in the Black Country, new plans have revealed.

A canalside housing estate will be built next to a proposed £5 million glass museum in the Black Country, new plans have revealed.

Some 49 homes would be constructed on the historic former Stuart Crystal glassworks site in Wordsley.

Vacant land off Argyle Close would be developed for the estate while the museum will be built in the Grade II listed former factory units, which were once the heart of the glassmaking industry but have recently been targeted by vandals.

Work on the museum is not expected to start until next year as bosses are preparing bids for funding.

A planning application has been submitted by Morris Homes Ltd for a mix of houses and flats, and will be considered by councillors in the coming months.

Existing plans to convert some of the old glassworks units across the canal into apartments, on land owned by Complex Developments, were delayed five years ago by the slump in the housing market. These have been put on hold while the museum plans move forward.

Under the new proposals there would be 16 detached houses, two semi-detached, seven mews properties and 24 apartments. They would overlook the Stourbridge Canal, which runs through the former glassworks.

The plans have been welcomed by ward councillor John Jones, who said: It will bring new people to Wordsley and put some money into the community.

Im sure a lot of people will be pleased to see some regeneration at the site as it has been knocked about in the last few years.

The new museum will have glass collections from across the Black Country and there are plans to link it with the historic Red House Glass Cone via an underground tunnel.

A canalside housing estate will be built next to a proposed £5 million glass museum in the Black Country, new plans have revealed.Some 49 homes would be constructed on the historic former Stuart Crystal glassworks site in Wordsley.

Work on the museum is not expected to start until next year as bosses are preparing bids for funding.A planning application has been submitted by Morris Homes Ltd for a mix of houses and flats, and will be considered by councillors in the coming months.

Existing plans to convert some of the old glassworks units across the canal into apartments, on land owned by Complex Developments, were delayed five years ago by the slump in the housing market.

These have been put on hold while the museum plans move forward.Under the new proposals there would be 16 detached houses, two semi-detached, seven "mews" properties and 24 apartments.

They would overlook the Stourbridge Canal, which runs through the former glassworks.The plans have been welcomed by ward councillor John Jones, who said: "It will bring new people to Wordsley and put some money into the community."I'm sure a lot of people will be pleased to see some regeneration at the site as it has been knocked about in the last few years.

"The new museum will have glass collections from across the Black Country and there are plans to link it with the historic Red House Glass Cone via an underground tunnel.