160-year-old Dudley bike and toy shop will become children's nursery after proposal approved
A toy and bike shop which has been in a Black Country village for 160 years will be turned into a children's day nursery when it closes later this year.
In April this year the Express & Star revealed that B D Price in Sedgley, which has supplied cycles and toys to generations of youngsters, was to close after 160 years being run by the same family.
The following month Loraine McHale, who runs the Cloud 9 day nursery next door, sought approval from Dudley Council to use the building for an extension to her business, and install a new shop front.
She was told that the new shop front would have to go through the formal planning process, but that the change of use alone would be acceptable. She has now been given a certificate of lawful use which will allow the extension to proceed.
Planning officer James Mead said the proposed extension would allow the nursery to accommodate 28 children, and provide parking for 12 cars.
He said that as far as planning law was concerned, then providing there were no physical alterations the change of use would not constitute development, and could go ahead without planning permission.
Bike shop owner Dan Price, 84, said he planned to retire after running the business for the past 60 years, along with his sister Pat Smith.
The business dates back to 1865 when their great-grandfather D J Price and his wife opened a cycle shop from the front of their terraced house in High Holborn, Sedgley.
At its height, the business also had branches in Great Bridge, Kingswinford and Wolverhampton.
The construction of a new shopping parade in Sedgley High Street in the 1960s allowed the business to move to a more spacious shop, and business boomed, but he returned to the original site in 1987 after acquiring neighbouring properties, which allowed him to build a bigger store on the site.
But Mr Price said a combination of a decline in traditional toys, the move towards internet shopping, and tax rises in last year's Budget meant it was not possible to sell the business on to a new owner.
"It's sad, but I'm quite relieved to finally be retiring," said Mr Price, who now lives in Claverley.
"Twenty years ago we might have been able to sell the business on, but you can see how quiet it is now.
"Because we own the building, we don't have to worry about rent. But if we did, we wouldn't have been able to carry on. We do online sales, and that is what has kept the business going. This current government isn't helping at all, you can't increase taxes by the amount they have."
