Express & Star

Plan to build 'eyesore' Cradley Heath apartment block rejected

A plan to build an apartment block in Cradley Heath has been rejected by councillors after complaints it would be an eyesore.

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The homes would have been built on the junction of Whitehall Road and St Annes Road

The scheme, for a 19-apartment block and two separate homes on the junction of Whitehall Road and St Annes Road, was thrown out after councillors heard objections from residents.

Sharron Cammies, a director of Macarthur Gardens housing on Whitehall Road, speaking on behalf of local people, said: “If the development goes ahead it will have a substantial impact on their lives.

“Its size and impact would be intense and quite overpowering.”

Adding the site is a wildlife haven in the town, she added: “The proposal is just too intense, a total of four storeys high, 21 properties which could house four people in each.

“It is massively intensive on a street that already has four other apartment blocks.”

Written objections claimed it would be an eyesore, overlook neighbouring homes and reduce the limited amount of green space in Cradley Heath Town Centre.

Design

Residents also complained that the size of the development would block views from the nearby Compton Grange and Macarthur Gardens housing developments.

Planning officers recommended councillors refuse the plans saying it was of poor design and out of scale and appearance with the existing area.

In a report to Sandwell council’s planning committee, they said: “The proposal as submitted shows a very dominant apartment block which will be situated on significantly higher ground than the existing residential properties in Whitehall Road, furthermore given that the area falls within an area of townscape value, the architectural language of the building does not respond to the local vernacular in terms of its appearance and building heights.”

Summarising their reasons for refusal, they added: “The scheme as outlined is too intensive, does not respond to the local characteristics of the area and would have a detrimental effect on the amenity of existing residents by virtue of loss of light and outlook.”

Councillors rejected the plans by an unanimous vote.