'Uber-trendy monstrosity' development rejected in Walsall

More than 200 people objected to proposals to convert the arson-hit Mali Jenkins House care home building in The Crescent, Walsall, into a three-storey block of flats saying it would have a huge negative impact on their area.

Developers Habinteg Housing Association said the homes would all be affordable rents and cater for vulnerable residents such as disabled people, as well as transforming the derelict former care home site.

But people living nearby said it was poorly designed and would be a blot on the landscape, cause traffic and parking problems, create privacy issues and be out of character with the area.

Members of Walsall Council’s planning committee agreed and unanimously rejected the application at a meeting on Thursday.

At the meeting, resident Lisa Fidwar said: “What is being proposed is a three storey uber-trendy glass fronted monstrosity. A blot on our landscape.

“We cannot find a similar building anywhere in our locality. We don’t want such a building on our doorsteps.

“The MPP framework states that new buildings must be sympathetic to local character and history. This is not. It jars against the local character.

“How can you allow a three storey block of flats to be dumped amongst our two storey homes? How does this respect the massive scale and rhythm of adjacent buildings?

“And the balconies overlook our children’s bedrooms from the front and into the three quarters of a million pound Cameron Homes from the back.

“We’re proud of our town and if you allow this development to go ahead, you’ll be eroding the character of Walsall and particularly the character of the Chuckery neighbourhood.”

The developer’s agent Darren Parr told members: “Habinteg Housing Association are not a traditional registered social landlord.

“Specialising in the provision of wheelchair accessible housing, they work to demonstrate it is possible to design build and manage accessible housing as part of a mixed and integrated community.

“They also promote the idea of universal housing as a principle which should underpin all new residential provision.

“We have seen how the homes they provide genuinely change people’s lives for the better, offering the residents the opportunity for independent living which they otherwise might not have.

“The homes proposed will assist in meeting Walsall’s identified and acute need for accessible housing. These people represent some of the most vulnerable in society whose housing options are currently severely limited.

“Without housing of this type many will be forced to live in unsuitable temporary accommodation which not only comes at a huge cost to the council but also severely limits people’s life chances.”

During the consultation on the scheme, housing standards officers expressed concerns about the quality of the apartments being proposed.

A 186-name petition was submitted by residents while more than 60 letters of objection were also put forward.

Committee chairman and council leader Mike Bird said: “I’m concerned the people nominated to live here are disadvantaged in society and are we going to put them in standards of housing that our own housing standards are saying aren’t good enough? No, not on my watch.

“There is an issue with parking in the area. It is too dense a scheme on a very small piece of land.

Councillor Aftab Nawaz added: “I have difficulty in supporting this. It is not really suitable for the area, the density I have concerns with and I don’t like the design.”

Ward councillor Waheed Rasab said: “This development is against the character of that area and the type of properties we have. We are overloaded with flats and HMOs in our ward so I strongly oppose it.”

The application was refused on the grounds it is out of character with the area, substandard to housing standards, there are parking issues and it is over-development of the site.