Willenhall shop owner in court over eyesore site

The former Dainty's toy shop, in Stafford Street, has been in a state of disrepair for more than a decade.

Walsall Council issued a section 215 notice to Raj Gupta requiring him to carry out a schedule of works, but he was summoned to appear at Walsall Magistrates Court yesterday after failing to comply.

The notice was served on Gupta, of Highfield Road, Dudley, last July and some of the work included removing dirt and algae, fresh painting and reinstating the gutter and drainpipes.

But the council said the 57-year-old had only carried out minimal work and failed to meet the requirements of the notice within a certain time period.

Mr Dominic Patouchas, prosecuting on behalf of Walsall Council, said: "The notice required a number of steps to be taken to tidy up the property.

"Only a couple of things were done. It was mostly left in disrepair." Gupta pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to comply with the notice requiring him to carry out the works by December last year.

The case was adjourned and he is due to appear at Walsall Magistrates Court to be sentenced on June 24.

Willenhall South Councillor Diane Coughlan welcomed the council taking enforcement action.

She said: "Willenhall councillors have been calling for action on Dainty's, which has been a thorn in the side of Willenhall town centre for years. Councillors constantly complained to officers, so it's welcome if a long time in coming.

"Let's hope the enforcement is followed up and the residents of Willenhall can finally have some results." Bentley and Darlaston North Councillor Angela Underhill also said it had been an eyesore in the town for a long time and had called for court action.

A notice ordering clear up work at the building in Stafford Street was agreed by the council last summer.

If the owner does not have the resources to carry out the work then the local authority can do it and recover the costs.

It has also emerged that Gupta has now lodged plans with the council to convert the building into a retail unit, three flats and two bedsits.

In a report to Walsall Council, agent Seven Design Build said: "The properties have been derelict for a long time and so these proposals will return both their commercial and residential occupancy.

"The design is sympathetic to the character of the area and the materials of the original façade and so offer to return positive presence to Stafford Street, from a site currently only used as a taxi base."

Under the proposals, the retail unit, two bedsits and a two-bedroom flat would be built on the ground floor, while two more two bedroom flats would be created on the first floor.

The plans also include providing four garages, bike storage and waste disposal areas.