Empty Brownhills shopping centre to get new lease of life under new Aldi plans
Council chiefs have welcomed moves by a supermarket to breathe new life into an empty Brownhills town centre shopping precinct.
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The former Ravenscourt Shopping Centre in Brownhills High Street has been standing vacant and mostly derelict for a number of years and has been the source of residents complaints due to vandalism and anti-social behaviour in the area.
Walsall Council said most of the site is now owned by the Aldi chain with the intention of demolishing the existing shopping centre to create a brand new store.
However, in order for the business to proceed with the development it needs to acquire a small number of shop units on High Street.
Walsall Council associate leader Councillor Adrian Andrew explains: “Having been involved in this project for some years, along with ward members, it is great to see more movement taking place and recommitting to working with Aldi to deliver this project as we did a couple of years ago.
"We are committed to working to make this happen and remove this eyesore and hope that Aldi will take action to demolish as soon as possible to show the people of Brownhills their commitment to this project.
"There are 4 shop units on the high street within the development area which Aldi has been attempting purchase since 2020, however they have not been able to reach an agreement with the owners.
“As a council we are considering our options to assist with this much-needed development, and while we do not take these decisions lightly, we will consider using compulsory purchase powers to make sure the redevelopment is able to go ahead if we need to.”
The development is due to be discussed by the town hall cabinet on Wednesday.
A council report said officers propose to work with Aldi to ensure that the land and property to be purchased is essential in the delivery of the new store and that planning permission is in place.
The council added that subject to the company providing evidence that the scheme is feasible it would consider the future use of compulsory purchase powers to help acquire the necessary sites.
Aldi previously proposed to shut its existing store also in High Street and build a brand new branch which will be around 50 per cent bigger with increased car parking spaces from 57 to 100.
