The changing faces of seven Sandwell pubs - here's what's in store for renowned landmarks which have seen better days
More than a pub a day is expected to have closed its doors in the UK this year, with towns across the Black Country not immune to the sad decline of the pub trade.
More than 200 pubs closed across England, Scotland and Wales in the first six months of the year.
Many of Sandwell’s former bustling pubs have now been reduced to eyesores after lying empty for years – and even decades – with most showing little to no sign of improving soon.
However, while many have come and gone, and been reduced to rubble, there have been plans revealed in the last 12 months that show that while many of the long-gone watering holes will never see pints pulled again, there is a glimmer of hope for some of the buildings set to see a bit of life again.
1) Forge Tavern, Wednesbury
Nearly decade-old plans to turn the former Forge Tavern in Wednesbury into an eight-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO) were approved in March after moves to turn the old watering hole into am Islamic tuition centre were rejected by Sandwell Council.
The local authority’s planners have turned down several moves to bring the old pub back to life in the last eight years including two moves to open an Islamic tuition centre and two separate bids for a new community centre.
The plans did not include converting the ground floor – which includes the former pub’s bar – and were “reserved for future. “ Re-opening the pub would require a separate planning application, the council said.
2) Old Court House, Tipton
Sandwell Council rejected plans to convert the former Old Court House in Lower Church Lane, Tipton, into ten flats, saying the site would be “over-intensified” if it went ahead.
The plans for the former pub, which closed in 2021, included converting into four flats alongside a new three-storey building with six flats.
3) Friar Park Inn, Wednesbury
Under plans by developer SEP Properties, the former Friar Park Inn in Crankhall Lane, Wednesbury, will be demolished and replaced with 14 new flats and a shop.
Sandwell Council approved plans to demolish the former Friar Park Inn in Wednesbury more than two years ago, and after several complaints over the site’s untidy state, a planning application was put forward last summer.
4) Nag’s Head, Great Bridge
The former Nag’s Head in Great Bridge, Tipton, closed in 2009 and will be transformed into new shops, flats and a house of multiple occupation (HMO) according to a planning application by Davinder Bhurji approved by Sandwell Council.
The plans include converting the former pub’s ground floor into two new retail units with the rest of the building turned into two flats and a five-bed HMO.
The dilapidated pub, which has been left to rot since closing 16 years ago, has been the subject of several moves to bring the building back to life as well as other plans to demolish the former watering hole completely.
5) Merrivale, Oldbury
The fire-damaged remains of the former Merrivale pub in Oldbury, which has lay empty since 2013, will be knocked down and the site given a new lease of life under new plans by ‘upmarket’ grocery shop Simply Fresh.
Sandwell Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the plans at a meeting in October nearly two years after they were submitted.
A planning application was submitted to Sandwell Council in early 2019 looking to convert the former pub into a Hindu temple but that move was eventually scrapped.
The pub was then badly damaged by two arson attacks in a week later that year.
6) Wheatsheaf, Rowley Regis
The long-empty empty pub could now be demolished to make way for assisted living flats for adults with learning disabilities under the latest plans yet to be decided by Sandwell Council.
A plan to demolish the pub, which closed in 2019, for a three-storey block with 20 ‘ultra modern’ flats was put forward in 2022 but not approved until 18 months later and the work has not been carried out.
7) Perry Hill Tavern, Oldbury
A planning application to knock down the former Perry Hill Tavern in Perry Hill Road, Oldbury, was approved by planners at Sandwell Council in December.
The application only asked for permission to demolish the pub as a way to stop the dilapidated building from continuing as a focal point for anti-social behaviour but indicated the site would be used for housing.
Early plans to build 34 homes on the land once the pub was demolished were presented to Sandwell Council in the summer.
The empty pub had been the subject of “numerous” complaints and the application asking to demolish the “dilapidated” building has been put forward after contact from the council’s planning enforcement officer.
