Flats plan for town centre offices in West Bromwich
New flats could be created in a West Bromwich town centre office block which is no longer deemed commercially viable.
Sandwell Council planners have received an application for the rooftop plant room at Metro Court, in the High Street, to be converted into a pair of two-bedroom apartments.
Architects Oakham Design Ltd said the building was previously used by a number of organisations but changes to the town centre meant the block was no longer attractive to businesses.
They added that transport links into West Bromwich had improved greatly over the years while the building has 20 car park spaces in a covered area and another 15 at the front and side of the building.
The design and access statement said: “The office building was part of the commercial centre of the town, however following implementation of the urban design changes to the town centre the use classification to this area has changed.
“Metro Court is now positioned fringe of the commercial area and is no longer attractive for commercial rent opportunities.
“The proposed is to construct two number 2 bedroom apartments, making use of the existing brick built plant rooms with areas of outside space within the proposed roof structure.
“The conversion to residential will require an upgrade to the external fabric of the building in terms of thermal and acoustic performance and will also require building regulation.
“The new homes will increase the population within the town increasing footfall and supporting the local shops and businesses.”
It added: “Sandwell Council have made major alterations to the transport links to the town, the building is well positioned to make the most of the links with easy access to bus station and metro.
“The site is within easy access to the local amenities within West Bromwich with good transport links to all larger amenities and retail areas with good road links to the motorway network.”
