Plan for flats off busy Black Country route given green light

As many as 30 flats will be built on overgrown land off Dudley Port in Tipton with Sandwell Council approving a planning application that was first put forward more than two years ago.

The mix of one and two-bed flats and a basement car park will be built on the vacant plot next to the Esso garage near Dudley Port’s junction with Sedgley Road East.

Sandwell Council’s planning committee gave the green light to developer Sukhmani for the work in February 2023 and has now signed off on the plans after coming to an agreement over the percentage of ‘affordable’ housing.

Seven of the flats will be ‘affordable’ according to the section 106 agreement and in line with the council’s policy of asking for 25 per cent of developments to make the provision.

The council’s planners had supported the work and recommended to councillors the plan should be approved as it was bringing an empty plot back into use. One objection was raised by a neighbour over the height of the building and the council rejected claims it was “out of character” for the area.

“Dudley Port contains a number of building types and heights, including flats up to three storeys in height with a relatively new development on Anchor Drive having flats up to four storeys in height,” a council report said.

“Although indicative, the submitted floor plans and elevations show a design which starts at two storeys adjacent to the existing neighbour residential dwellings and steps up in height to the final height of four storeys which would reduce the overall massing and impact of a development.”

Sandwell councillors approved an ‘outline’ application 18 months ago – backing the development in principle – and now a ‘reserved’ application, which shows the layout, design and size of the building and car park, will follow and be approved again by the council before work can start.

The council approved a separate application to build eight homes on the land in 2021 but the work was never carried out.