Plan to raise roof of former West Midlands Lidl supermarket to fit new trampoline park unveiled
An empty Lidl supermarket could be transformed into a trampoline park under new plans.
A planning application submitted to Sandwell Council asks for permission to convert the former but now empty and vandalised Lidl supermarket in Old Walsall Road, Hamstead, into a trampoline park.
The plans also include new padel tennis courts on the abandoned site bordering Sandwell and Birmingham.
A statement included with the application said: “The site is currently abandoned with the building itself and surrounding car parking subject to fly-tipping and graffiti and would benefit from having the use changed to tidy up the site at the start point of the high street.
“The proposal includes raising the roof height of the existing structure to accommodate the specific spatial requirements of trampoline equipment, including necessary clearances for safe use.
“The roof increase will be sensitively designed to avoid overbearing impacts on adjacent properties and will not significantly alter the building’s footprint. The revised design will respect local character and visual amenity, with careful attention to roof form, materials, and scale.
“Internally, the space will be reconfigured to accommodate a trampoline zone, foam pits, party rooms, washroom facilities, and a small café. These works will primarily involve creating new partitions, installing specialist flooring and equipment, and setting up customer amenities.”
More than a year ago, Digbeth-based Crown Banqueting put forward proposals to move into the empty supermarket to create a new wedding venue.
The application said the company “urgently” needed to find a new venue because of plans by Birmingham City Council to demolish its current building as part of regeneration projects in the area.
The move by Crown Banqueting came after plans to open a banqueting hall in the former supermarket were thwarted by Sandwell Council two years earlier after significant objections from neighbours.
The plan was criticised for not providing enough parking spaces – and the council was anxious the shortfall would prove problematic for already concerned neighbours.
At the time, the council also said it would reject plans to convert the former supermarket into a banqueting hall unless it could be proven there was a need for a new venue.
Budget chain Lidl moved 300 metres away along Walsall Road into a new purpose-built and bigger supermarket on the former GKN factory site at the end of 2021.
The abandoned supermarket was put on the market for more than £1 million pounds in 2020.
