Vandals prompt new call to act on Black Country eyesore

The door window of an empty shop in Sandringham Place, Wordsley, has been smashed.

The row of six shops opposite The Ashwood Inn has been blighted by vandals for the past 15 years.

Three of the shops remain empty despite repeated efforts to revitalise the eyesore properties.

Following the latest attack, Wordsley Councillor Paul Brothwood is seeking to secure an enforcement notice against the owners requiring them to clean up the shops, making them more appealing to potential occupiers.

Councillor Brothwood, who is also Dudley's UKIP group leader, said: "I just want it to be more appealing. It has looked like that for 15 years now. It is a real eyesore and I am determined to get it resolved.

"The residents here are very frustrated. They feel the terrible state of the shops has affected the value of their properties. And they do not want to be looking at an eyesore.

"When I was on my election campaign I promised I would look at this road alongside other derelict properties. In truth it is not just a problem in Wordsley but a problem across the borough."

Of the six shops in Sandringham Place, three are currently occupied by an off-licence, a beauty salon and a newsagent.

Last year proposals emerged for a bakery and a media 'hub' to open up in the empty properties but they have so far not come to fruition.

Councillor Brothwood believes tidying up the street will encourage businesses to come in, describing the area as the 'gateway to Wordsley'.

But fellow ward councillor Derrick Hemingsley, who has long campaigned to restore the shopping parade, said plans to turn The Ashwood Inn car park into a convenience store could be halting any progress.

A poll in April revealed 68 nearby residents opposed the Co-op scheme and seven were undecided. No-one supported it. The convenience store is set to create 20 jobs.

Campaigners had called on New River Retail, the firm behind the plans, to instead transform the rundown shopping parade.

Councillor Hemingsley said: "I am in constant dialogue with the owners of the empty shops and they have assured me they will get those properties into a state where they can be taken over.

"We hope to be in a situation very, very soon where these can be rented out. We are getting there but it is a long process being held up by legal issues.

"It is frustrating for local residents that this is taking so long and now the co-op plans have not helped the situation and may have put people off getting this resolved."