Concerns from officers raised over plans for Tipton flats

A planning application has been submitted to the council asking for permission to demolish a builder’s office in Brick Kiln Street, Tipton, for a new four-storey block with nine flats.

But some of the council’s urban design and conservation officers have raised concerns about the plan saying the tall building would damage canalside views of a listed church.

Tipton’s canalside locks are also part of a conservation area which has greater protection designed to preserve as much of the area as possible. If buildings are located in a conversation area, they are usually subject to tighter planning controls to protect any historic and architectural elements.

The council’s urban design officer said Brick Kiln Street was a “highly prominent location” and the proposed apartments would not fit in with the canal and the surrounding conservation area. The plan has also been criticised for chopping down a number of trees and the three storey desing will block views onto the significant local landmark of the listed St Martin’s and St Paul’s Church.

The council also predicted the apartment block could be problematic for future residents if it was built saying its proposed adjoining car park would disrupt privacy for those living on the ground floor and provide a “hard environment … and poor outlook” for everyone else.

Sandwell’s conservation officer has also said the designs appeared “detrimental” to the protected canalside.

“The proposal stands within the setting of the statutorily listed church and adjoins the Factory Locks conservation area,” the office said in response to the application.

“It also stands near to the locally listed railway station. As such this is a sensitive location from a heritage perspective, he 3D renders and the plans indicate that the building may interfere with views from the canalside particularly of the listed church.

"This would need to be ascertained and considered in the determination of any application, in itself this is likely to be considered to be both material and detrimental.”