27 homes to be built on Willenhall wasteland
Homes are to be built on the site of an historic manufacturing firm after fresh regeneration plans were backed by the council.
Land which used to be the old offices of George Carter (Pressings) Ltd in Willenhall will be transformed for a mix of 27 homes and flats.
There were previous plans for just over 20 properties at the old office site of the 179 year-old firm in Clothier Street.
But they failed to get off the ground and new proposals have been approved by Walsall Council under delegated powers.
The long-standing George Carter firm shut in 2009 and the nearby main production site in Park Road was taken over by Aspray as part of its expansion.
The application for the residential development submitted through Rob Goodall, of BM3 Architecture, said: "The majority of the application site is now cleared and was once the site of George Carter Pressings which ceased trading in 2009. The former factory buildings have since been demolished.
"Pockets of remaining industrial premises are interspersed around the area with connections to the manufacture of lock and keys for which the town of Willenhall is renown.
"Much of the local industry is at the end of its steady decline with much of its land given over to the development of new industries, retail development and new housing development."
It adds: "The current proposal includes the purchase and demolition of the Fortel Construction offices who relocate to an alternative location. This means that the overall site area has been increased since the original approved scheme and also gives a longer frontage to Wednesfield Road."
The scheme involves a mixture of eight flats and two and three bedroom homes.
The George Carter firm was established in 1830 and spread across its two sites in Park Road and Clothier Street.
It exported to Italy, Germany, USA and China with the nature of its business including manufacture of commercial vehicle number plates.
During its boom period the Park Road site was expanded in 2003 to create a machine shop to house milling machines and a lathe. However, it went into administration in 2009 and up to 79 jobs were lost.
It comes as a series of new housing schemes are being planned across the borough, including more than 700 homes in Blakenall and Goscote and up to another 200 in Brownhills by Walsall Housing Group.
