Memorial garden plan for derelict chapel
An eyesore derelict chapel in Wednesbury which has been unused for decades will be pulled down to make way for a memorial garden if plans are approved by council chiefs.
Fallings Heath Chapel, which sits in the centre of Wednesbury cemetery, was closed around 20 years ago and has been left to wrack and ruin. Sandwell Council's bereavement services have now applied to planning chiefs to flatten the building in a bid to make space for a memorial garden.
The two-storey brick building which has stained-glass windows has become a target for vandals, arsonists and drug dealers.
The windows have been smashed, graffiti stains the walls and it has a severe pigeon infestation, and residents have been calling for action to be taken.
The council hopes to begin demolition work on November 12 and have it completed by the end of the month.
In a report to council chiefs, Mark Satchwell from bereavement services states that alternative uses for the chapel have been explored, but it is thought an area of open space would be more appropriate.
Wednesbury Councillor Elaine Costigan welcomed the plan, and said it had been a blight on the Beebee Road cemetery for too long.
She said: "It is just horrendous, and has not been used for a very long time. I think all the residents will be very happy to see it go. It is covered in graffiti and has barbed wire all over it."
She added: "It is something that I have been talking to the officers about for a long time, and we just have to keep our fingers crossed that it gets approved by the planning department. I know the plan is to make the area into a memorial garden. An area of open space, with maybe a couple of benches. It will be a place where people can go and reflect."
