Eyesore shops blighting part of Halesowen tackled as council take clean up action

A maintenance of land notice has been issued to the shops in Shell Corner to clean windows, remove waste and take down any old signage.

It comes after Councillor Stuart Henley complained that the area was blighted by crime and waste earlier this year.

The notice, which has been attached to the front of the empty shops, states that the frontages of 303A and 304 Long Lane must have clean windows, frames and cladding along with taking 'all reasonable steps' to clear and remove any waste or litter created by the work.

Specifics to 303A, which is the former Tudor Law shop, state: 'Remove all signage, clean the front door, doorstep, stall riser and the flashing above the main shop front fascia.'

For 304, formerly Hedzup, broken glass will need to be reinstated, signage removed, the front of shop painted in a dark colour including pilasters, stall riser, brickwork and all ground floor window and door frames.

Litter, waste, rubbish and weeds are also requested to be dealt with.

Councillor Henley, who represents the Halesowen North ward, said: "I have e-mailed a couple of officers to find out when the work will be carried out.

"The good thing is they have been pushing the owners of the premises to get them sorted and put notices on.

"The flats above were sold recently and people are moving in, so we need them cleaned as soon as possible really.

"They have been bringing the area down for a while now. Unfortunately it seems that previous owners may have not been having much income come in so couldn't really do much about it.

"We need the area tidied up and the shops are a key start."

Councillor Henley said he did not know who owned the shops.

Earlier this year, Councillor Henley called for CCTV to be instated in area after residents said is was blighted by 'drug crime and vandalism.'

It came after an acid attack on a blind man in Belgrave Road, just off Long Lane, on February 1.

The 54-year-old victim was being helped into a car when a man squirted a liquid into his eyes. The substance caused a painful burning sensation and the man was taken to hospital. He was treated for minor injuries and later discharged.

A Shell Corner Facebook page was set as well as a page on the Streetlife community website to help share views on how to improve the area.

Shell Corner was originally known as the Junction. In its heyday, post-war, it had three butchers, a grocers, bakers and two ladies' and men's hairdressers, with a strong community spirit.

Councillor Henley launched a campaign to re-install an artillery shell at the site earlier this year. But council bosses needed to agree a preferred location for the shell and consult with utility providers.

Councillor Henley added: "The sad thing is Shell Corner always seems to get pushed to one side, but I won't give up on this."