Homes plan for Walsall factory site empty for more than 10 years is backed

Alba Construction (Midlands) Ltd has been given the green light to build 15 new homes on the site of the old British Lion Works factory on Forest Lane.

The factory, which has been closed for more than a decade, has been demolished and 13 three-bedroom and two two-bedroom houses will be created in its place.

There have been previous attempts to revamp the site. An application was originally put forward in 2018 but that didn’t come to fruition after parking issues forced a rethink.

A scheme to build 16 properties on the site was granted permission by Walsall Council planning committee in 2019.

But the developers said the proposed homes were not considered “commercially viable” so went back to the drawing board and come up with the current proposals.

When the scheme went before Walsall Council’s planning committee in 2019, officers backed the proposal and said homes would revitalise the vacant industrial site and improve the area for residents living nearby.

The application said: “The existing building is a derelict factory which has been vacant for over 10 years

“Locally the built environment is generally housing . The site is adjacent to the Wyrley and Essington Canal. The canal level is higher than the site and held by a concrete retaining wall and tow-path.

“The proposal is for 15 mainly semi-detached dwellings. Parking generally is for two dedicated spaces per dwelling. Some garages are included.

“The proposed scheme is a reworking of the recently approved scheme which was for 16 units some of which were four storeys with integral garage on the ground floor.

“The applicant does not consider such units to be commercially viable and so the scheme has been revised along similar principles and materials.”