Planning application submitted for apartment block and houses on Cradley Heath brownfield site

A planning application has been submitted to Sandwell Council for the new apartment block and two houses on land in St Anne's Road.

Brierley Hill company JSA Corporate have been working on the application for four years and have worked with planning officers from Sandwell Council to ensure the authority's planning committee pass the application. 

With a desperate need for homes in the Black Country which are built on brownfield sites instead of controversial developments on greenbelt land. The new development is adjacent to Compton Grange Care Home. 

The design and access statement submitted to the planning department said: "The two three bed houses are traditional in appearance with red brick external walls, reconstituted stone cills and blue brick heads, with pitched slate-effect tiled roofs. 

"The designs haven taken influence from the terraced, Victorian-style houses on Whitehall Road, but also retained a contemporary look. Double-glazed windows and doors with a dark grey frame, have been chosen to enhance the appearance and maintain a modern feel." 

After taking advice from Sandwell Council planning officers after a previous application raised concerns, the statement said: "The apartments are traditional in appearance with red brick external walls and pitched slate-effect tiled roofs. 

"A dark blue string course has been included, above which it is proposed to clad the walls externally with a horizontal cement fibre plank, finished in a mid-grey colour. 

"The design has taken influence from the existing houses and apartments fronting St Anne’s Road but, also retained a separate contemporary identity. The communal spaces will be fully glazed with a powder coated aluminium framed curtain walling, to both visually separate the elevations to reduce the scale to a more domestic size and to be more visible from the paved approach to each entrance."

The design has been created to compliment Compton Grange Care Home. 

The statement said: "The site slopes gently from north to south following the line of St Anne’s Road, but drops sharply from east to west towards the existing Compton Grange care home. The design has utilised the existing topography and levels to reduce any requirement for steps and ramps, where this can be achieved."

The landscaping of the development has ensured new trees and shrubbery ensure there is greenery throughout.

The statement added: "New trees to compensate for those that have been identified for removal, will be of the native variety and to a scale to complement the development. Turf grass has been proposed for the majority of the soft landscaping to provide amenity space and for the general long-term ease of maintenance. 

"Shrubbed areas are proposed where it is not suitable for turf. These will be of the low, ground cover type to add more texture but, also to be of long-term low-maintenance in nature. A maintenance schedule for the landscaping is to be implemented."

The consultation for comments concerning the Sandwell Council planning application is Sunday, May 4.