Homes plan for site of demolished Bilston pub that was wrecked by fire fails
A proposal to build new homes on the site of a former Bilston pub wrecked by fire has been rejected.
The developer, listed as Mr Khera, had hoped to build 10 new houses on the former Traveller’s Rest land on the Great Bridge Road and Belmont Street junction to ‘rejuvenate’ the area.
But planning officers at Walsall Council threw out the scheme for a number of reasons including the loss of a community facility.
Flames ripped through the old pub building during a suspected arson attack in May 2021 causing severe damage. The pub has since been demolished and hoardings put up around the site. The pub sits on the border between Bilston and Moxley, so falls under Walsall Council.
Planning agent Bharya Design and Build Consultancy said: “The site is currently vacant. The site was previously was occupied by pub/restaurant with associated parking.
“Great Bridge Road is a key route towards Wolverhampton. The site location has many key attributes.
“Having ease of access to commuter routes towards Wolverhampton and Birmingham as well as being walking distance from RSA Academy and other amenities nearby.
“Due to the locality, the area has seen numerous housing dwellings being erected. Therefore, this area can be seen as a desirable location for families.
“The redevelopment of this site will see a derelict site on a main road rejuvenated, and contributing to the safety and desirability of home owners”
But planners said: “The proposed development, which has already resulted in the demolition of the existing public house, does not align with the conditions outlined in saved Policy LC8 Local Community Facilities of the Unitary Development Plan.
“The access point to Plot 10 does not consider the presence of the existing uncontrolled pedestrian crossing point and central refuge on Great Bridge Road and the proposed access arrangement is therefore unacceptable and detrimental to highway safety.
“The documents and information provided by the applicant lack detail regarding a drainage strategy and fail to ensure the development is provided with a satisfactory means of drainage to reduce the risk of creating or exacerbating a flooding problem.
“The proposed layout does not adequately consider the risks from the mine shaft, with some plots located within the no-build zone of the mine entry.
“No legal agreement has been entered into as part of this application to secure the payment of an open space contribution.”
