Drug fears over flats plan for former Walsall care home
Fears of drugs and a loss of wildlife are among a raft of reasons why more than 200 people are fighting plans to convert an arson hit former Walsall care home into apartments.
Habinteg Housing Association is looking to create a three-storey block of flats on the site of the old Mali Jenkins House in The Crescent, which will serve vulnerable residents.
The building is fenced off ready for demolition and has stood empty since 2017. It has been targeted by vandals with incidents including an arson attack.
Walsall Council planners are recommending the scheme is approved but the proposal has sparked fierce opposition from residents in the area.
Among the reasons for objecting are the size of the development, it being out of character with the area, impact on wildlife, loss of privacy for neighbours and traffic and highways issues.
Some also expressed concerns about the residents who would be living in the flats with comments including “impact on locality due to socially deprived characters, rubbish, drugs and noise”.
A report to Walsall Council’s planning committee, which will sit next Thursday, said: “Councillor Gurmeet Singh Sohal has objected to the application and forwarded comments from residents.
“The WS1 action group have submitted a residents petition to refuse the application (signed by 186 residents) on the basis that local residents and community groups believe the development will have a detrimental effect on the area.
“They are concerned about the size and appearance of the building, the impact on the protected wildlife and trees, concerns about the infrastructure, demands on community services, as well as additional noise and traffic disturbances.
“Further there have been approximately 63 representations received objecting to this application.”
But officers said concerns about future occupiers were not material planning considerations, adding the scheme is acceptable.
They also said statutory consultees such as West Midlands Police, Severn Trent Water and highways officers had no objections to the application.
The report added: “The proposal is strongly supported on policy grounds and is considered to be acceptable in terms of highways, trees, ecology, ground conditions, flood risk, security and sustainability.
“The proposal would assimilate well with the surrounding area and would not be considered to be at odds and the scale and layout is acceptable.
“A good level of amenity would be achieved for future occupiers and there would not be any detriment to neighbouring occupiers.”
In the application the developers said their aim was to create accessible apartments for vulnerable people.
They said: “The site is currently occupied by a now vacant former residential care home.
“The building was last in used in 2017 and has remained empty since. A prior approval application for the demolition of the existing building has recently been approved, works are due to commence imminently.
“Since the building has been vacated it has been a target of anti-social behaviour and was subject to arson in 2019 resulting in significant roof damage.
“The proposal is to build 18 accessible, one and two bedroom apartments over three floors, all to National Described Space Standards.
“The ground floor will consist of six wheelchair accessible apartments whilst the 12 upper floor apartments will be designed to meet accessible and adaptable dwellings.
“It is intended that the development will be home to vulnerable people and adopt higher than current building regulation standards.”
