Poundland building could be torn down to make way for warehouse

Developer Teal New Darlaston Sarl has put forward proposals to Walsall Council planners to demolish the building in Wellmans Road and replace it with a new facility aimed at attracting a new business.

The site has been empty since the start of the year due to a shake-up of the business operations by the discount chain retailer.

The company bought the former HMRC building in Midland Road near Walsall town centre to create a new HQ and move a number of services and a total of around 300 staff there.

Remaining distribution operations from Wellmans Road were moved to the existing logistics centre in Bilston.

Planning agents Dalton Warner Davis LLP said: “The application site is allocated within the Development Plan as Existing Strategic Employment Area which promotes employment uses and has historically been used as a warehouse.

“The site forms part of a wider industrial and retail park comprising a mix of uses and it has access directly onto the strategic road network (A454).

“The proposed development will provide much needed high-quality industrial floorspace that will create local employment opportunities and reinforce the status of this currently vacant allocated site as a desirable employment location.

The technical assessments demonstrate that the development does not cause any unacceptable adverse impacts with regards to design and local character, heritage assets, sustainability and carbon reduction, flood risk and drainage, landscape and biodiversity, transport, noise impact or air quality.

“Taking into account the above, and weighing up the planning balance, it is considered that the benefits of the proposed development are considerable.

“The development is considered to comply with the Development Plan as a whole and there are no material considerations that indicate planning permission should not be granted due to unacceptable adverse impacts as a result.”