Planners give the go ahead for Willenhall supermarket despite previous refusal
A South Asian convenience store in Willenhall has finally been granted permission to operate by Walsall Council.
G&G Supermarket at 36-40 Walsall Road had been up and running without permission since October 2024.
The site had previously been home to a clothing warehouse.
Applicant GNG Store UK submitted a retrospective change of use application earlier this year but it was refused by the planning committee.
Reasons for refusal included that the applicant has failed to carry out a sequential test to demonstrate the need for a town centre use outside of a town centre, no flood risk assessment and insufficient parking.
With the latest application, planning officers said a flood risk assessment had been provided and the highways team were now satisfied with the level of parking.
While a sequential test had been submitted with the latest application, officers said that the dismissal of some vacant town centre sites were unjustified.
Two petitions with over 350 signatures were received by Walsall Council in support of the application, backed by ward member for Willenhall South, Councillor Simran Cheema.
Members at the planning committee meeting on June 19 noted that the business had operated successfully since October last year, and that it would benefit the visitors of the nearby gurdwara. Therefore, it was approved.
Chairman of the planning committee and leader of Walsall Council, Councillor Mike Bird, said: “What we’re seeing here is that we have a business, albeit retrospective, which has been surviving there very well.
“If you listen to Councillor Cheema, you can’t get into Willenhall town centre anyway because of the roadworks, so it’s right and proper that this place has survived.”
