Apartments plan for trouble-plagued former scrap yard land in Walsall can finally go-ahead
A project to build dozens of apartments on trouble-plagued former scrap yard land in Walsall can finally go-ahead three years after it was first approved.
Square Space Ventures will create a total of 71 flats in three blocks, along with 58 car parking spaces, on the disused site off Wolverhampton Road, just outside the town centre.
The proposal was first given the backing of Walsall Council’s planning committee meeting in November 2019, subject to the signing of a Section 106 agreement.
This was finally agreed last week and an authority spokesperson said there was a need to liaise further with the applicants in order to conclude the agreement.
Now this has been resolved, the planning permission has been enabled and issued.
In the application, the company said: “The site is predominately flat and a former scrap metal yard, which has received a capping of fill.
“The previous owner has unlawfully constructed a steel frame for a storage unit which has been abandoned.
“The site has security fencing and gates but can be accessed by vehicle from the north Hollyhedge Close and by pedestrians off Wolverhampton Road.
“The current site has no trees and very little vegetation other than self set grass and low value plants.”
They added the development would be a ‘high quality’ social residential scheme which would fit in with the surrounding area.
At the meeting in 2019, officers said they had worked with Square Space Ventures after concerns had been raised about anti-social behaviour in Hollyhedge Close at the back of the site.
They said the fenced off development would provide surveillance and considered it an acceptable scheme.
This prompted committee member Aftab Nawaz to say the ‘gated community’ could leave the apartments isolated from the rest of the area.
But Tony Corbett, of Square Spaces Ventures, said: “Our intention was not to create a gated community.
“The security measures have gone in at the request of planning officers and it is primarily to stop the anti-social behaviour of which there is, I gather, quite a lot.”
He added: “We believe this scheme will bring forward a problem site that has been around for many years now.”
Alison Ives, the authority’s head of planning said: “Walsall Council seeks to work pro-actively with owners, developers and their agents in the public interest to promote sustainable developments in the borough.
“The National Planning Policy Framework encourages pre-application discussion in all formats to help ensure that proposed developments are delivered in the most appropriate way that creates economic growth, suitable housing and other forms of development so long as they safeguard the natural and built environment, highway safety and the amenity of citizens.
“In this instance the council has been able to support the proposed development and has worked with the applicant.”
