Great Barr YMCA unit to expand by 26 extra rooms
More than two dozen much-needed new units will be added to a Great Barr YMCA after plans were given the green light.
Sandwell Council has approved the plans to build an extra 26 rooms at John Dando House, in Hamstead Road, for people struggling to get accommodation through traditional routes.
Work will involve demolishing a building at the rear of the site to make way for a new one featuring 18 of the units. A further eight will be created within the existing property.
The extension will be created on what is classed as community land, but Sandwell Council had previously declared it surplus to requirements.
This scheme had been backed by planners but needed to be fully approved by full council this week, as the work represented a departure from the authority’s development plan.
Planners said: “The proposal is for 100 per cent affordable and rented homes through the YMCA who will assign them to people in need of housing, that have struggled with traditional routes.
“The properties are designed as such, that in the future they could be converted to sheltered accommodation, this however, would not be supported housing.
“The proposal has Homes England approval and the proposed plans are not for the open market.”
A report to full council said: “The proposal meets the requirements of policy in that it proposes a range of types and sizes of accommodation which would be accessible by sustainable transport to residential services.
“The proposal would also achieve high quality design with minimal amenity impact.
“Whilst the site is on community open space land, the council has sold this land to the applicant for development purposes as it is surplus to the community open space requirements.
“The proposed housing will also assist the council in meeting is current housing shortfall and providing much needed housing for vulnerable people.
“In this instance it is considered that the loss of open space is acceptable given it has been identified as surplus and is outweighed by the benefits of providing much needed homes and the scheme itself does not raise any amenity issues that cannot be controlled through conditions.”
