Delay to decision on new plans for vandalised Wolverhampton pub after council discovers work has already been completed
A decision on a plan to re-open an empty vandalised pub as a new Indian bar and grill and HMO has been delayed after the council discovered most of the work had already been carried out.
Wolverhampton Council’s planning committee was supposed to decide on an application for the former Royal Oak pub on New Street in Portobello in Wolverhampton, but a ruling was deferred after the local authority’s planners found part of the pub had already been converted into flats without permission.
The council’s planning officer said during a visit to the pub ahead of September 9’s meeting found the first floor, which was due to be converted into a five room house of multiple occupation (HMO) had already been converted into seven self-contained flats.
The applicant Bye To Let Ltd said the already completed work and changes to the application would form amended plans and asked to meet to discuss the proposals at later date. As a result, a decision on the application was deferred.
The pub, on the border of Wolverhampton and Willenhall, has been closed since 2022 and has attracted fly-tipping and vandalism while empty.
A report by the council’s planning officers had recommended the application by Kuldip Singh Bansal from Manchester-based Bye to Let Ltd should be approved.
The planning application had originally included a hand car wash but was later scrapped.
A total of nine objections were received against the plan with concerns raised about the now shelved hand car wash and the potential HMO.
The objections said the former pub had attracted “graffiti, vermin and fly-tipping” and was an eyesore.
The applicant said the five-bed HMO was “essential” to “ensure the pub’s financial viability.”
The applicant has already started the work to convert the first floor into an HMO and alter the ground floor without planning permission.
The applicant was warned the unauthorised work could lead to enforcement action from the council.
In the report, Councillor Louise Miles, who represents the East Park ward, said she shared the concerns of locals over the proposed HMO and questioned why the applicant would not be living above the re-opened pub. She had also raised concerns about the work already starting without planning permission.
Councillor Stephen Russell, who also represents the East Park ward, said the removal of the hand car wash ‘significantly improved’ the plans but he was concerned it had been removed in order to get the application approved and would be re-instated later on.
A report by the council’s planning officers, which recommends approving the application, said: “The proposals would bring the Royal Oak public house, a valued community facility and locally listed building, back into use after being vacant since 2022 and subject to antisocial behaviour,” the report said.
“The proposed single-storey extensions are modest and in keeping with the building’s character and surroundings.
“The conversion of the first floor flat into a five-person HMO would provide satisfactory living conditions and is unlikely to cause unacceptable impacts on neighbour amenity or contribute significantly to crime or anti-social behaviour.
