Council houses set to be built on old Tipton colliery site
New council houses are set to be built on the site of a historic colliery in the Black Country.
The houses, compromised of 10 new bungalows and eight apartments, will be located on land at Beever Road, Tipton.
Sandwell Council's cabinet has recommended that Tony McGovern, the director of regeneration and economy in Sandwell, submit an application to the West Midlands Combined Authority.
The cabinet is also hopeful of the scheme also being granted £650,000 by Homes England.
If an application for funding is successful, work will need to be completed within two years of starting in March 2023.
Historically, the land was occupied by a section of the Eagle Colliery works, while residential housing was recorded in the 1930s before being demolished in the mid 1970s.
The site was appropriated for allotment purposes in the 1980s, but ceased in the 1990s after a report the site was unsuitable due to contamination. It has been empty since.
The council’s own finance appraisal report states the site has “never been marketed for sale” and the level of market interest from private developers is “unknown”.
It also states the construction costs for privately-owned apartments do not exceed £110,000 for a two-bedroom flat, adding “the proposed option may not optimise value for money for the council.”
Zahoor Ahmed, cabinet member for housing, said: “Two bungalows are fully wheelchair accessible for people with severe needs.
“The proposal will provide new high quality affordable housing stock utilising council owned land.”
There are currently over 9,800 people on Sandwell council’s housing register, of which around a third are existing tenants requesting property transfers.
Around two thirds of all housing applicants need properties with two or more bedrooms.
