24 shabby sites earmarked for regeneration in Dudley
Dudley Council has earmarked 24 sites around the borough for redevelopment in a bid to clear up eyesore land.
As part of the authority’s Stalled and Derelict Sites Programme, council officers work with landlords to bring shabby sites back to life.
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A report for the council’s Communities and Growth Scrutiny Committee says 12 of the sites are either already completely developed or making positive progress.
The report says eight further sites have seen minimal progress while four sites have had no progress or even got worse.
During the past three years ward councillors identified 68 possible brownfield sites for redevelopment which was whittled down to the 24 based on criteria including the size of the site (up to around an acre) and where there was clear potential for development.
At their meeting, on February 9, committee members will be told the council has a number of incentives to encourage private landowners to redevelop derelict land including partnerships packaging their land with council-owned land and the council directly investing in infrastructure like roads and drains.
The authority also has a variety of statutory tools to force upgrades to run-down sites including enforcement notices and, as a last resort, Compulsory Purchase Orders.
Redevelopment on disused land brings a range of benefits to the borough including the provision of new housing, removal of blight and extra cash for the council if publicly owned land is part of the deal.
The council funded the scheme by approving £1m which was borrowed and grants from central government, so far the only capital spending has been buying and demolishing buildings on a site in Colley Gate.
The report highlights a site in Stourbridge as an example of how the programme can work.
A plot on Market Street had become overgrown and derelict buildings were a magnet for vandals.
The report said: “It occupies a key gateway position, highly visible from passing traffic on the ring road.
“For decades, the site has blighted the local area and negatively affects perceptions of the community and visitors.”
After negotiations with the landowner failed to bring regeneration to the site, the programme secured funding for further surveys and legal fees which has led to a planning application for outline permission to build 31 new apartments.
