Developer behind vandal-hit pub in Willenhall say planning conditions ‘excessive, unjustified, and unreasonable’

The applicant, listed as Mr Kang, was granted planning permission to convert the Walsall Road pub into six one and two bedroom apartments in September 2023.

But the permission came with 14 conditions around heritage, parking, and vehicle access. The applicant has challenged all but three of the conditions, claiming most of them are ‘excessive, unjustified, and unreasonable’.

There were seven conditions set out by the council to protect the heritage of the building. They include providing the council with a Heritage Statement of Significance, a building recording survey, a strategy for the repair of historic fabric of the building, and a document outlining full architectural details of the building including the windows, masonry, doors and staircases.

 Details must also be submitted about the colour and size of bricks used and the mortar mix used in order to match existing facing, and no satellite dishes, tv aerials, or AC units shall be fixed to the front of the building.

The Prince of Wales pub is not nationally listed or locally listed, and falls outside of any conservation areas. It is registered as a non-designated heritage asset. On behalf of the applicant, Goldfinch Planning Services said: “We continue to maintain our view that the former Prince of Wales Public House building has no heritage significance.

“Walsall Council is treating the site of the former Prince of Wales Public House building as if it’s a statutorily listed building, such as a Grade II listed building. It has attached an unreasonable and completely disproportionate level of historic environment planning policy weight to this building. This is totally excessive, disproportionate, not defendable, unreasonable, not justified and highly onerous.”

Other conditions include providing the council with details of an acoustic mitigation statement to help with noise levels, providing plans for vehicular access and car parking and to submit plans for an illuminated bicycle shed.

Goldfinch Planning Services said: “In relation to noise mitigation matters, the proposals will involve installing high quality double-glazed window units within the building. Due to their significant acoustic noise reduction qualities these new windows will help to substantially reduce any vehicular traffic noise from the adjacent highway network.

“It is important to reinforce that this is only a very small-scale and very modest development scheme, involving only six, one and two-bedroom residential flats. Walsall Council appears to be assessing this previously approved planning application as if it is a major residential development proposal.

“The council’s highly onerous approach being taken towards this development scheme is putting barriers in place and obstructing the delivery of highly sustainable new housing development proposals from coming forward within the borough. At a time when there is an enormous, severe and chronic housing shortage adversely affecting all parts of the borough and the wider Black Country sub-region.”