Delight as Walsall car park to be cleared
An eyesore empty car park that has been a blight on the Walsall landscape for more than a decade is finally set to be bulldozed. The car park in Lower Hall Lane will be knocked down under latest plans.
The move forms part of the £12 million redevelopm-ent of St Matthew's Quarter.
Norton & Proffitt wants to demolish a two-storey car park, which has been a magnet for yobs for more than 10 years and has been shut since the late 1990s.
Buildings fronting High Street, Digbeth and Lower Hall Lane would also be demolished in order for a large restaurant and 11 shops to be built, creating 200 jobs.
St Matthews Councillor Mohammed Arif said: "This is most welcome in an area that has seen neglect over the past few years."
The new scheme will boast a 11,930 sq ft restaurant and space for 11 shops on the ground and mezzanine floors.
A design statement, in the planning application, reads: "Existing buildings on the site including the retail terrace with offices above, a multi-storey car park and an outbuilding associated with the former mill building are to be demolished."
The council-owned 100-space short-stay car park was shut after highways chiefs claimed it had serious structural problems.