Willenhall waste plant turned down by planners as declared detrimental to regeneration

A proposal to convert a disused building on land off Waterglade Lane into the centre was refused this week.

Other concerns raised were over the number of heavy goods vehicles using the site, the poor condition of the lane and a lack of safe walkways for pedestrians.

Applicant Gurmukh Kitaure said he would not be appealing the council's decision, but added the jobs would have been created if the temporary plans had been approved.

Building demolition materials, non-contaminated garden waste, earth, timber and plastic would have been stored at the centre, with waste sorted under a concrete paved surface.

Recycled materials would have been transferred to processors, with selected demolition material being used for hardcore. All other materials would have gone to landfill.

Steve Pretty, head of planning, engineering and transportation at the council, in a report refusing the application, said: "The history of indiscriminate parking in Waterglade Lane could potentially restrict access to the proposed site traffic.

"The high pedestrian crossing movements at the access point onto Bilston Street due to site proximity to the district centre.

"The development would, for these reasons, have a detrimental impact on highway safety and to the free flow of traffic on the public highway.

"The proposed use it not a town centre use and is incompatible with the regeneration aims of the area and would result in a bad neighbour industrial use to the detriment of the district centre and neighbouring occupiers.

"The application has failed to demonstrate the proposed use can be conducted without causing any adverse noise effect to residential premises, the nearest of which are 40 metres away from Ensdale Row."

Mr Kitaure said: "The council has a policy that the area was going to eventually be used as a bus depot.

"I originally asked for a permanent building but even the possibility of a temporary centre was rejected.

"It would have created employment."

Mr Kitaure, who had applied for temporary planning permission for the site over five years, said he believed the site might be allocated for future retails, leisure and a bus interchange facility.

He said the temporary building would have included flood lighting with empty skips stored outside alongside the railway boundary.