Approval for empty pub to become a Desi grill

Plans have been approved to turn an empty Wolverhampton pub into a new Indian bar and grill at a building which had been partially converted into flats without permission.

A decision on the Royal Oak on the border of Wolverhampton and Willenhall, was deferred by councillors last September after the discovery of seven unapproved flats.

Amended plans, revising the already completed work, were submitted. It is that scheme which has been given the go-ahead by the city council.

The project will see three one-bed flats at the premises which are set to operate as a dining venue.

The site while empty had become a target of vandalism and fly-tipping and speaking at a council planning committee meeting on Tuesday, councillor Robert Maddox, who grew up near the pub, said it was sad to see it in its current state.

He said a re-opened Royal Oak would be looking to emulate other Desi grills such as the Firs in Castlecroft and the Pendulum in Pendeford, alongside similar in Tipton, Oldbury and West Bromwich as well as Lichfield and Telford.

He described them as "successful businesses that contribute hugely to the area and community they are in".

Ahead of a council meeting last September, visiting planning officers found that the pub's first floor, which was part of a planning application to convert it into a five-room house of multiple occupation (HMO), had already been converted into seven self-contained flats.

The application for a revised scheme, recommended for approval by council officers, said a 15-year lease had been signed to convert the pub into an Indian bar and grill and the flats would be privately let.

"The proposals would bring the Royal Oak public house, a valued community facility and locally listed building, back into use after being vacant since 2022 and subject to anti-social behaviour," a report to councillors said.

"The proposed single-storey extensions are modest and in keeping with the building's character and surroundings.

"The amended proposal for three first-floor apartments provides satisfactory living conditions, complies with national minimum space standards, and is unlikely to cause unacceptable impacts on neighbour amenity or contribute significantly to crime or antisocial behaviour."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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