Plot of disused land sold for development

The 3.3 acre site at Sycamore Road in Burntwood will be sold to Bromford, a specialist housing association.

The site has been used as a school, an adult day care centre and, from 2014, as offices for members of the county council’s children’s services team until it was vacated in late 2019.

The sale was approved at a meeting of Staffordshire County Council cabinet.

Councillor Mark Deaville, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for commercial, said: "The buildings were old, expensive to heat, had no disability access and needed a great deal of work doing if we were to carry on using them.

"Staff could easily use better offices elsewhere, so it made sense to demolish the buildings and, when the time was right, offer the land for sale."

The site, which also has access from Maple Close, is surrounded by existing homes and is earmarked for housing in Lichfield District Council’s Local Plan, although currently no permissions are in place.

The decision follows another development of county council land in Burntwood, after the authority allocated the site of the former Greenwood House nursing home on Lichfield Road to become the new home of the Darwin Medical Practice.

Scheduled to open in 2022, the Greenwood House Medical Centre will provide 12 new consulting rooms, five treatment rooms, a healthcare/phlebotomy room, and a health education space in a single-story building.

Councillor Deaville said: "The council regularly reviews its land, property and assets to ensure it makes full use of them and is getting best value for taxpayers.

"Both Greenwood House and the sale of the Sycamore Road site are good examples of using unwanted and unused assets for the benefit of local residents and the council."