Council urged to get moving on garage review

Councillor Susan Ridney has said a study into the disused land and buildings has been going on for "years" while traffic problems in her ward get worse causing problems for residents and emergency services.

But Dudley Council has said that with more than 3,000 garages on some 300 sites the review could take another 12 months to complete.

Councillor Ridney spoke out after initially raising the issue at a recent meeting of the local authority’s cabinet.

She said: “We have real parking problems in Coseley which include train commuters parking on busy residential roads and residents themselves parking in narrow streets due to lack of enough off-street parking.

“This has created access problems for other road users, especially the emergency services.”

She added: “For example, in Whitegates Road, we have council-owned garage sites which are in a state of neglect and either empty or not used for their intended purpose.

“Instead of sites like these continuing to be an eyesore, the council could demolish them and use the land either for additional residential parking or for building affordable homes.”

Councillor Ridney claimed the authority began the study several years ago, but work has appeared to have stalled while the sites deteriorate.

She added: “I will be calling on the council to resume the review and will ensure that in Coseley, the council consults with my residents so that they have a say in their future use.”

In response, the council has said the number and varied locations of the sites meant any report will take time.

Alan Lunt, deputy chief executive at Dudley Council, said: “We are undertaking a comprehensive review of all of our garage stock. The review will focus upon how we can best utilise each site moving forward.

“With nearly 3,000 garages spread across more than 300 sites and virtually no two sites the same, we estimate that the outcome of could take around nine-12 months to complete.”