Action plea on disused garage

Newbridge Service Station in Tettenhall Road was set to be relaunched and revitalised by owners Esso with petrol pumps and a minimarket until the plans were shelved eight months ago.

Now councillors and residents are demanding the future of the site, which has turned into an eyesore, be decided as soon as possible.

The garage was used by hundreds of motorists every day until it closed suddenly in 2005. Last summer Esso announced plans to reopen it with a Tesco Metro convenience store but the plan was put on hold for a traffic impact assessment to be carried out.

Nothing has materialised since September and the site is lying derelict for all motorists using Tettenhall Road to see.

Carl Husted, Conservative party candidate for Park ward, said residents had complained to him about the mess.

"I sent out a newsletter last year complaining about it but it seems we can't even shame them into doing anything."

Resident Louise Blunt, who lives in nearby Aldersley Road, said: "A lot of people breathed a sigh of relief when Esso said they wanted to reopen the garage again.

"But nothing has been done and people are getting fed-up. Newbridge is a nice place but that garage is letting the place down. I'm not sure another garage would be the answer because it does get very busy along that stretch of road. But a nice block of apartments could spruce the area up a bit."

Neither Esso nor Tesco was available for comment today.

Motorists were dealt a blow when Newbridge Service Station shut around the same time as a well-used garage in Penn Road.

The Penn site has now been transformed into a Tesco Express.

Other filling stations have also closed down in recent years.

A Texaco garage in Willenhall Road is now a housing development called Lauren's Gate, and a garage in Birmingham New Road, Lanesfield, has recently had an application for apartments turned down.