Plans to demolish Wednesbury pub to be decided by councillors after objections
A plan to demolish a pub for new flats and a shop will be decided by councillors after a number of objections from neighbours.
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Sandwell Council approved plans to demolish the former Friar Park Inn in Wednesbury more than two years ago and after several complaints over the state of the site, a planning application was put forward last summer.
Four objections were raised by neighbours saying the work would lead to a loss of privacy.
The application will be decided by Sandwell Council’s planning committee at a meeting on Wednesday (February 19).
The local authority’s planning officers have recommended the plan should be approved.
A report outlining the recommendation said: “The area is a mixture of retail and residential properties, and the scheme provides further retail and residential accommodation into the area without compromising existing private residential amenity.”
Permission was granted to demolish the empty pub in December 2022. The council said several complaints had been made regarding the state of the site which led to the application to demolish the pub. However, the pub has still not been demolished which has led to more complaints.
The former Friar Park Inn in Crankhall Lane would be demolished and replaced with 14 new flats and a shop under plans by developer SEP Properties.
The three-storey building includes space for a ground floor shop and 35 parking spaces would also be built according to the application submitted to Sandwell Council.
The pub was sold to SEP Properties for £495,000 in 2022 and the developer put forward plans to demolish the former pub shortly after.
A statement included with the application said: “An extensive period of design development has resulted in a scheme that will provide high-quality accommodation and retail space, providing a reasonable number of new homes for residents in the Friar Park estate.”
Plans for the Friar Park ‘urban village’ include a further 600 new homes and improvements to the nearby Millennium Community Centre in Friar Park Road.
Housing developer Persimmon is also planning to build 105 homes on fields next to the estate’s High Point Academy.
