Eco-friendly homes proposed for old West Bromwich council site

The application would see 14 three-bed homes built in Clifton Lane, Stone Cross, West Bromwich by Alpha and Bowerbird Homes.

The vacant land was home to Sandwell Council offices before they were demolished in the early 2010s.

The new application boasts an “enhanced” proposal to the one approved by the council four-and-a-half years ago.

The application said the new homes meet many ‘Passivhaus’ principles – which are homes designed and built to use as little energy to heat and cool the building as possible.

This includes extra insulation, air-tight materials, triple-glazed windows, mechanical ventilation, solar panels and heat pumps.

The eco-friendly homes are mostly built in factories and then delivered to the site and lowered into place.

“During the development of the scheme a fabric-first design philosophy was utilised by adopting Passivhaus principles to deliver highly energy-efficient buildings which are light and airy to live in,” the application said. “Houses are built using biogenic materials such as responsibly sourced timber coupled with modern materials and techniques to ensure that each home has a minimal carbon footprint whilst offering exceptional performance.

“The dwellings are made in a factory environment allowing for the adoption of precision manufacturing methods resulting in superior tolerancing, thermal performance and airtightness.

“As a majority of each home is completed in a factory environment, they remain unaffected by bad weather ensuring improved certainty when it comes to product cost and delivery.”

The council offices, and a doctor’s surgery which remains open today, were built in the late 1980s.

The land was then bought in the 2010s, with the remaining buildings demolished in late 2013, and the council granted planning permission to build 13 homes on the empty site in 2019.

Part of the new road onto the site from Clifton Lane was built in 2022 but not much other work has taken place.