Pub's helicopter plan set to take off after permission granted for beer garden attraction

The planning application by Fourways Bar and Grill in Rowley Regis, which has been approved by planners at Sandwell Council, will see a Westland Lynx helicopter lowered into the pub’s garden to be used by up to 10 diners.

The first application by the bar and grill was rejected by Sandwell Council last year over concerns that the extra customers would lead to off-street parking and more noise for neighbours.

Revised plans moved the helicopter to the rear of the bar and grill’s garden – away from the road – and lowered its platform by a metre.

But before a decision was made, the council’s highways officer visited the bar and grill and found a full car park and “high levels” of on-street parking. However, the proposals would not add to the number of covers at the restaurant and therefore not add to parking problems, the council concluded.

A new outdoor seating area for up to 60 people, which proved controversial with Sandwell Council the first time around, was also scrapped in the revised application.

The council’s planners had said the pub had not shown it could accommodate 70 more visitors or their cars in its original plan. Drawings in the application showed the army helicopter on a raised platform with space inside for up to ten people to eat and drink. A new outdoor seating area for up to 60 people would also have been built.

Two plans for a new outdoor seating area were rejected by Sandwell Council in 2022 over concerns the extra customers would flood the pub’s car park and cause issues at a busy junction.

Rejecting the application last year, Sandwell Council’s planners said the helicopter and raised platform would be “unduly prominent” and “out of character for the area.”

“The proposal to create external seating areas does cause serious concern because there are houses on Portway Road and Portway Hill close to the site and residents are likely to be adversely affected by noise from up to 70 customers using the outside areas,” planners said.

The council said the Rowley Regis desi pub needed to show how it could cope with parking from the proposed extra customers and planners were worried it would cause road safety issues if allowed to go ahead.