Retirement homes plan for youth centre revived

A planning inspector has given the go-ahead for 49 new retirement flats on the site of a disused youth centre, despite council opposition.

Dudley Council had blocked the proposal in Kingswinford on the grounds of its "excessive scale", loss of play space and potential parking issues.

Churchill Living Ltd appealed, and inspector Richard Aston found the plan would result in an "improvement" to the "vacant and underused site", which closed in 2014.

Churchill wants to replace the centre with a single block of retirement homes fronting on to the high street.

The proposal also includes a multi-use games area on council land at the back of the apartment building, replacing the play area at the youth centre.

Dudley Council accepted that this measure met the concerns it had raised over loss of play space.

It also dropped its opposition due to concerns about accessing the neighbouring community centre, drainage and the environment after Churchill Living provided more information.

Despite this, the council said the provision of new homes was still outweighed by the negatives.

However, the inspector concluded: "Overall, the proposal would be well related to its surroundings", and that the development "appropriately balances visual interest, modernity, and contextual references."

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

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.