Public inquiry into refusal of plans for Kingswinford retirement home halted

The government’s Planning Inspectorate was holding the inquiry after an appeal from Churchill Living Ltd against the authority’s ruling against a proposal to build 49 new apartments on the site of a derelict youth centre.

The hearings, at Dudley Council House, began on October 14 and were due to finish on Friday October 17 with closing submissions from lawyers representing the council and Churchill.

Any members of the public turning up to hear the closing arguments would however have been disappointed to find the committee room where the hearings were taking place was empty.

A spokesperson for Dudley Council confirmed the inquiry had been adjourned until November although a date for when it would reconvene has not been finalised; so far no reason for the adjournment has been provided.

The application would have seen the former youth centre, which has been empty for ten years, demolished to make way for a four story block, a new multi-use games area and a children’s play area.

While the council acknowledged the benefits of developing new housing on brownfield land and the provision of specialist housing for older people, planners said the proposed building was of a poor design, had inadequate parking and the loss of playing fields on the site was against advice from Sport England.

The application was refused by Dudley Council as the local planning authority (LPA) in January 2025 and an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate was lodged by Churchill.

The company says their building is well designed and dismissed concerns about the height of the proposed building.

In his opening statement for the hearing, Sasha White KC, for Churchill Homes, said: “There is no policy justification or evidential justification for why the proposed development of this site should be restricted to only a two or three storey building.

“This is an absolute fiction at the heart of the LPA’s case. Additionally, there are two substantial buildings, one of three storeys and one of five storeys literally within 150 metres.”

Churchill also says a new design of the grounds provides two football pitches and a five-a-side pitch so there is no loss of facilities while the addition of a MUGA will bring improved play facilities.

The company also argues it is providing 18 car parking spaces which is ‘more than adequate’ for the site while there is no evidence the proposal is unsafe.

Dudley Council insists car parking will be reduced dramatically, in her opening statement barrister Sioned Davies, for the authority, said: “The site currently provides approximately 61 spaces serving adjacent recreational facilities: eight at front, 23 on side access road, 30 overflow on netball courts.

“The car park is free to use with no time restrictions. The Appellant’s 12-hour survey confirms demand throughout the day with peaks during sports use. After this development, users will have no on-site parking at all.”