Green light for 34 homes to be built on site of former swimming baths
The long-running saga of building houses on the former Coseley Baths site has finally been resolved.
Dudley councillors have given the go-ahead for construction of 34 houses on the Pear Tree Lane plot after accepting a revised plan for cash to provide affordable homes.
Progress had stalled on the project after it was first approved in September 2022 when surveys found the costs of making the site safe were higher than expected.
The 2022 plan included four affordable homes and a contribution to education in the area but after the increase in costs councillors were asked to consider a new deal.
At a planning committee meeting on December 14 the authority agreed to accept a cash payment from developers of £157,897 towards building affordable housing in Dudley instead.
Councillors were told the money would be spent in the borough where it was needed after the Strategic Housing Team concluded there was enough affordable housing in Coseley.
Councillor Peter Miller said: “This is a brownfield site we need to use. It’s been nearly 20 years since the baths closed and it’s been demolished for ten years.
“It’s been lying empty, we need to do something with this now.”
The revised plan also saw changes to house designs which were reduced from dormer to two-storey configurations, planners said revision was an improvement.
The latest plans attracted three letters of objection echoing concerns about traffic originally raised in 2022.
In a letter of objection to the 2022 application, which contained 36 homes, Councillor Peter Drake said: “There have been parking problems in this part of Coseley, due primarily to proximity to the train station.
“It has been the bane of residents for years.
“I feel without improvements to the local infrastructure the Coseley Baths site will have an excessive number of properties that will worsen parking issues and congestion and exacerbate road safety.”
In a report on the latest application housing officers recommend approval, saying: “The principle of development on the site is still acceptable. The impact on residential amenity and highway safety are also acceptable.”
Permission will be withdrawn if the money is not paid to Dudley Council within six months.
