Homes plan put forward for old sewage works site
An old Black Country sewage works could finally be redeveloped after scaled down plans for a new housing estate were submitted.
Ruskin Properties has put forward a scheme for 132 homes at the former Caledonia sewage works in Lye, Stourbridge.
The plans will see two, three and four bedroom homes on the nine-acre site, split across two pieces of land either side of the River Stour.
The two-storey homes will be a mix of semi-detached and detached dwellings. All of them will be for private rent.
If the scheme, which is called Brickworks Caledonia, is given the go ahead by planners at Dudley Council, it would being an end to years of delays over the redevelopment of the land, which sits next to the Caledonia estate.
It was originally earmarked for 141 homes in 2004 but site constraints prevented any scheme from being carried forward. Ruskin Properties bought the land in 2017 and at the end of 2020 revealed plans for 109 houses and 124 apartments.
Following a public consultation the current, scaled down scheme has now been submitted.
A design and access statement detailing the plans says of those who supported the development during consultation, the main reasons given were improved landscape and recreational opportunities.
Those who opposed it raised concerns over "a lack of infrastructure and the potential impact of the development upon local services and facilities, such as school capacity", the statement says.
Twenty-five out of 74 respondents said a main issue was "access into the site and the impacts of additional traffic onto the local highway network", while 11 people said that "too many houses were being proposed".
The statement continued: "The public consultation exercise along with internal design reviews of the scheme has resulted in significant changes to the proposed development that will now form the basis of the planning application submission.
"The proposed number of units associated with the development has been reduced from 233 dwellings to 132.
"All apartments have been taken out of the scheme with the proposed development now seeking to build two storey family homes only."
Halesowen-based Ruskin Properties is developing around 600 homes for private renters in Dudley and Sandwell over the next five years.
