Flats set to replace car wash after five year wait

A plan to replace a hand car wash with new flats that was first put forward five years ago finally been approved.

Nineteen flats will be built on the corner of Dilloways Lane and Moseley Road, in Willenhall, on the site of a former pub, the Long Acres, stood before it closed in 2010 to make way for the Shri Maha Kali Bhameshwari Mandir temple.

The new two-and-three-storey apartment blocks will be built on the site of the pub's car park, where the car wash is.

The land had been deemed high risk by the Coal Authority because of mines in the area and a mineshaft entrance nearby, which forced further investigations before the final layout of the blocks of flats could be confirmed.

"The principle of the proposed residential development is acceptable as it would provide much needed housing and remove an existing car wash facility, which is an anomaly in this predominantly residential area," a report outlining the council's decision said.

The development would regenerate a key location in the city, the report added, and contribute towards the council's housing targets, providing modern quality housing.

Plans had struggled to outline "adequate private amenity space and satisfactory separation distances" for some units, the report noted.

However, on balance, it states the number of units is low and the benefits of the development outweigh the harm of below standard living accommodation in some of the flats.

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

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