Former Walsall car showroom to become a supermarket and five restaurants

The Drayton Group, which used to run the Mercedes-Benz dealer in Dudley Street, Walsall, has been granted permission to convert the building into a mixed-use retail and restaurant complex.

The garage closed about two years ago, and has been on the market since, with a rental price of £20,000 per year.

The scheme will see the main showroom area divided into five restaurants with anciliary takeaways, while the workshop area will be converted into a supermarket. An extension with a glass frontage will be added to the front of the workshop are to create a lobby for the supermarket.

The restaurants will range in size from 627sq ft to 912 sq ft.

The proposals are for 67 parking spaces on the existing forecourt, which is opposite Asda at St George's Quarter in the town.

A planning statement issued on behalf of the developer said there would be little change to the basic fabric of the building, although it would be repaired and revived where necessary.

"The changes to the existing building would be very successful in this vicinity as it is a positive project that encourages a high amount of employment and provides essentials to the community," the company's agent, Architecture and Interiors, said.

"The proposal allows the site to be revived from its current vacant and dilapidated state to a thriving economic hub with ample onsite parking spaces; in a safe, gated environment."

Planning officer Ann Scott granted permission for the scheme.