127-year-old Bilston pub to be demolished for Lidl car parking
A historic pub in Bilston will be demolished to make way for more supermarket parking spaces.
Wolverhampton Council has backed plans by supermarket chain Lidl to knock down the 127-year-old former Swan pub in High Street, Bilston, and replace it with 12 new parking spaces.
Lidl plans to demolish its Bilston store and replace it with a new building according to an application backed by Wolverhampton planners in 2022.
In a report outlining the approval this week, the council’s planning officer said: “Lidl’s agent states that removing the building as soon as possible is vital to Lidl as part of their revised redevelopment plans for the site, which they are currently working on.
“The amended plan provides disabled parking and two trees on the frontage.
“The demolition of the pub was recently approved as part of a comprehensive scheme for the redevelopment of the site.
“There will not be an impact on neighbours’ amenities or highway safety that would have justified a reason for refusing the application.
“The proposal is therefore in accordance with the development plan.”
The Swan, which dates back to 1898, closed in 2021 because of dwindling sales and was then bought by Lidl.
Real ale campaigners Camra said the former Banks’s pub avoided bulldozers in the early 1990s when the surrounding area was redeveloped.
The 127-year-old pub was said to hold ‘little’ heritage value according to the council.
“The majority of it is comprised of car parking with the existing food store,” the council said in 2022.
“The Swan is of relatively low heritage interest and demolition will result in better-defined access to the car park.”
The redevelopment plans for the Bilston site also includes relocating Subway and the High Street’s pharmacy to new units nearby.
A statement included with the approved application from 2022 said the current supermarket was “very dated".
“The existing foodstore was formerly a Co-op and was one of Lidl’s first stores in the region. It is now very dated and offers a poor customer experience,” the statement said.
“As a consequence of this, Lidl has concluded that the appropriate approach is to provide a new modern, purpose-built food store,” said the report.
“The proposed new store will employ up to 40 staff.”
