Glass museum in Dudley faces bulldozer to make way for homes

The scheme is for the site of the Grade II listed building Broadfield House - which closed its doors as a glass museum in 2015 after more than 35 years.

Dudley Council's planning committee have been recommended to approve the proposals to partly demolish and extend the former museum, studio and workshop, off Compton Drive, into five apartments at their meeting next week.

The glass pavilion once used at the front of the museum, thought to be the largest all-glass structure in the world at the time of its creation, will also be demolished - something the council said would be 'regrettable'.

A spokesman for Dudley Council said: "The conversion of the building from a glass museum to residential apartments is considered to be acceptable, in principle.

"Whilst it is acknowledged that the removal of the glass pavilion would be harmful to the listed building this would be outweighed by the benefits of securing the future conservation of this heritage asset with an otherwise sympathetic conversion to the building and adjacent threshing barn that have, with the exception of the caretakers flat, stood empty for several years."

Broadfield House, a two storey Grade II Listed Building was constructed as a farmhouse with a threshing barn next door in the eighteenth century.

Apart from the caretakers flat within the building, the entire property has been empty since 2015.

The plans include the demolition of an all-glass extension that was added to the rear of the building in 1994 for use as the museum's main entrance.

At the time, the glass pavilion was understood to be the largest all-glass structure in the world.

The council has said it 'acknowledges' that the loss of the glass pavilion is 'regrettable' given its architectural significance.