Former Walsall school to make way for new homes

Walsall Housing Group and Galliford Try Partnerships are behind the proposal for 48 homes at the former Clothier Street Primary School site in Harry Perks Street, which lies half a mile from Willenhall town centre.

More than half of the one-bedroom flats and two and three-bedroom houses would be for affordable rent.

Clothier Street Primary School which once occupied the site closed in 2007 and the building has since been demolished.

The old Little London Junior School, Lakeside Junior School and Clothier Street Junior Schools merged into Fibbersley Park Primary, in Noose Lane.

In a report, submitted with a planning application to Walsall Council, development manager for Galliford Try Partnerships Tony Bunney said: "This proposed scheme of 48 dwellings comprises 25 of those dwellings specifically for affordable housing through Walsall Housing Group, constituting 52.08 per cent.

"The joint applicants have approached this scheme on a broadly 50/50 tenure split from the outset and the clean land value offer to the council was on this basis.

"Both parties remain committed to delivering these 25 affordable homes and Walsall Housing Group have secured a Homes and Communities Agency grant funding allocation specifically for this purpose."

The homes would all be two-storey and there would be 72 car parking spaces provided.

Nearby sites have also been earmarked to be transformed with housing developments in recent months.

In August last year, plans to build a mix of 27 homes and flats on land which used to be the old offices of George Carter (pressings) Ltd in Willenhall were backed by the council.

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 were 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 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.

A decision on the proposals for the old school site is due to be made by planning chiefs in the upcoming months.