New hope for Brierly Hill eyesore under home plans
It's a tale of two views – a scene which has blighted the lives of people in a Black Country town for six years could finally be removed to make way for a modern housing scheme.
The artist's impression of how the development could look is a million miles from the towering pile of rubbish which people have had to view from their bedroom windows for years.
The plan to build the 94-home development has created renewed hope that the heap of waste at the former Refuse Derived Fuel industrial fuel yard in Moor Street, Brierley Hill, will finally be cleared up. The artist's designs show that rather than discarded bricks, wood and plastic, plush accommodation would instead fill the skyline.
The development, separated into two blocks, would also be lined with trees and feature plenty of green space – a huge difference to the rubble which has blighted the site for so long.
Residents have long demanded a clear up of the site and the long-running saga to rid the area of the rubbish saw a company director end up behind bars.
Robert McNaughton was jailed for six months in December 2013 for repeatedly failing to remove the mess. That appeared to signal the end of the nightmare for residents, but a 19ft pile of rubbish still remains more than a year on.
Using the site for housing is believed to be favoured by fed up local residents.
Ward councillor Rachel Harris said she was pleased that their pleas were finally being heard. "It has gone on for far too long," she said. "It has been there so long vegetation has grown on it and it is costing the council money having to monitor the site. What happened was criminal."
Dudley Council will now view the application and it is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.
