Anti-social behaviour in Stourbridge town centre nearly 50 per cent higher than national average - police report

The level of violent crime within one mile of Market Street in the town centre is 40 per cent higher and burglary 25 per cent higher than the national average, the force’s 'designing out crime' officer Bob Manson said as he presented crime statistics for the area for the last 12 months.

And dozens of thefts and anti-social behaviour incidents have been reported within 100 metres of one building alone, a Stourbridge neighbourhood sergeant said.

Mr Manson said the latest crime statistics for the postcode within the last 12 months show there were 39 offences of anti-social behaviour, eight vehicle crime offences, eight burglaries reported and 69 offences of violent crime reported.

His report came in relation to an application submitted to Dudley Council planners seeking permission to convert the upper floors of a shop in Market Street into a four-bed HMO (house in multiple occupation).

West Midlands Police has said it will not support a change of use for the building in Market Street, after police received 35 calls relating to theft and 33 for anti-social behaviour and disorder within just 100 metres of the site in the last year alone.

The application seeks approval to convert the first and second floors above the shop unit, currently home to Eyewise Opticians, from storage and office space into four units of accommodation with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Minor alterations are also proposed for the ground floor to provide a new toilet and to separate the shop from the stairway to the upper floors.

Mr Manson, on behalf of West Midlands Police, raised a number of concerns about the plan, which he indicated would not be supported by the force due to issues around parking, cycle storage, design and layout and the “out of character” nature of the development for the area.

Having assessed the application based on “the likely impact on prospective local residents, and the resources of both the local authority and police” he said he was concerned given parking restrictions in Market Street that residents or visitors to the proposed new HMO would have to park some distance away in a car park, possibly overnight, which could lead to a rise in vehicle crime in areas with no natural surveillance.

He also expressed concerns about the proposed cycle storage, saying there was no mention in the application of any security to safeguard cycles left in the courtyard to the rear of the premises, adding that secure cycle storage should be within the building.

He outlined concerns about the possibility of noise pollution within the property once refurbished if room separation was not carried out adequately; also highlighting concerns about a lack of storage within the HMO and lack of facilities for shop staff to have their breaks, carry out admin duties in private or have private conversations.