Plan for Tipton children's home approved despite 200-strong petition and drug dealing fears

The five-bed home in Stella Road, near to the town’s railway station, will be converted into a residential home for up to three vulnerable youngsters after receiving the backing of Sandwell Council’s planning committee on January 8.

The residential home would provide accommodation for up to three children aged between eight and 17 years old, plus three staff.

The planning application drew criticism from neighbours with more than 200 signing a petition against the move. The objections said the residential home would cause parking problems and lead to a potential rise in antisocial behaviour.

Objectors also said the home would be “out of character” for the area and at the planning meeting on January 8 said they feared drug problems on the estate would be made worse by dealers targeting the potential new residential home.

At the meeting in Oldbury, Veleta Brown, director of care firm Flipping The Script, said she had “lived experience” of the care system and told the committee that “every child should have the chance to live in a normal environment.”

Councillor Jenny Chidley said the home would not be occupied by drug users as some of the objectors had feared, and parking would not be a problem as there was “plenty of room.”

“[The children] are probably going to be better supervised than if they were in a normal family,” she said. 

Councillor Bob Piper agreed, saying the occupants of the children’s home would be better managed than if it was a house which anybody could live in. 

“If there are people on the streets now dealing and taking drugs, presumably they are not in a children’s home so that is not an issue that is the fault of the children’s home really,” he said.

The council’s planning officers had recommended the work was approved ahead of the meeting.

A report by planning officers said they “[did] not consider that the proposal would generate activities that would be significantly different to a family home” and the visual appearance of the property [would not] be altered to such a degree that would harm the character of the area.”