Garage sites will be sold off

Blocks of flats could fly up in Brierley Hill after councillors agreed to sell off 21 potential development sites. Sale of the plots was approved by members of the Brierley Hill Area Committee.

The council-owned sites are all currently used by tenants who have garages which they rent from the authority. But those tenants will now lose their garages after councillors decided the sites, in Wordsley, Kingswinford, Pensnett and Brierley Hill, were surplus to requirements.

In a report to the committee, principal property manager Gill Hudson said the land could be sold for new housing, garden extensions to existing properties or sold to private garage leasing companies.

And while councillors agreed the disposal of the land, some expressed reservations about its release to private bidders.

Councillor Dave Tyler, ward member for Wall Heath, said the he was concerned about the prospect of flats in built-up areas.

He said: “I have got a worry some developer will buy one of the larger plots and put up a three-storey block of flats between two houses with gardens.”

Brierley Hill representative Councillor Rachel Harris placed on the record her objections to the sale of two sites, at Harrison Road and Blackthorn Road in Wordsley, because “to pass them on to private ownership would not at the moment be of benefit”.

And Councillor Tyler added he hoped the land might be used as allotments. He said: “There’s a massive waiting list for allotments. With the agreement of people surrounding the sites, I think some of them could be used to create some new allotments. We have heard about the increased cost of living recently and this would help.”

In Kingswinford, garage sites in Marley Road, Nanaimo Way, Pine Close, Wrens Avenue, Standhills Road, and at the junction of Bromley Lane with Dingle Road will go up for sale. Plots in Sandfield Road, Bells Lane, Tack Farm Road, Fairfield Road, Kinver Street, Harrison Road and Blackthorn Road in Wordsley are also affected.

Across Brierley Hill, land in Fisher Street, Lower Valley Road, Wells Road, Norwood Road, Station Road and Orchard Street will be sold. A plot at Blewitt Street in Pensnett will go.