Homes plan on former pub site in Walsall delayed
A decision on whether to allow new homes to be built on the site of a former Walsall pub will have to wait.
Members of Walsall Council’s planning committee agreed to defer the proposal for The Sneyd in Vernon Way, following a request by the applicant PSK Pubs.
Planning officers had recommended the bid for five new houses on the land, on which the old pub once stood, be refused for a number of reasons.
Those included the impact the development would have on the Green Belt and a failure to provide any mitigation for the land falling within the Cannock Chase Special Area Of Conservation (SAC) – which requires developers to pay more than £250 per property to go towards the upkeep of the beauty spot.
But at Thursday’s (March 7) meeting, where a decision was expected to be made, chairman Mike Bird said the applicants had requested the deferral.
Their reasons were they have had to deal with two or three different planning officers on the case and that they hadn’t been given enough notice for this meeting.
Officers told committee members that, as the plan was contrary to policy they had an objection to the principle of the application and felt the matter should be decided.
But members gave PSK Pubs the benefit of the doubt and allow a deferral until the next planning meeting.
In the application, PSK said the building suffered fire damage some years ago and had become a hot bed for people dumping rubbish and committing anti-social behaviour before it was demolished.
There is already a development for three new houses being built on the pub’s former car park.
Agents JBVJ Architects said: “The remote and derelict nature of the site attracts vandalism given the secluded nature particularly to the rear of the site which backs onto private existing residential gardens.
“In essence the proposal seeks to reinvigorate what once was an attractive site, by providing a high quality residential development and associated landscape works that create a character site that is more in keeping with the locality of the land.
“We are confident that the approach has been carefully considered to ensure the site conforms to the Green Belt nature through appropriate built form, landscaping, pedestrian routes and security.”
