Fire-hit African Village restaurant to be demolished and developed
A restaurant which was severely damaged by a huge fire recently is now set to be demolished to make way for a housing development.
Birmingham City Council’s planning committee today gave permission for the African Village in Perry Barr to be bulldozed to slab level.
The works, which will also include the removal of six associated garages and another commercial unit, will start around April 1 and take until June 15 according to the application form.
It comes after 40 firefighters attended a blaze at the former Crown and Cushion venue on January 14, which saw part of the roof collapse.
Initial investigations suggested the incident was caused accidentally.
The car park to the restaurant has also become renowned for rubbish dumping.
A council planning report said: “Part of this building has been significantly affected by fire damage.
“The extent of the damage is not as evident from the front of the property, however, is more recognisable when viewed from the sides and rear.
“The car park area connected to the African Village restaurant is in a poor state with evidence of littering across the area.”
It also states that the site has been subject to a ‘number of historic planning applications’ but adds that ‘there are no relevant applications’ to the proposal to demolish it, which has been put forward by the city council.
The planning committee, which took less than one minute to approve its demolition, has previously refused proposals to build 55 apartments next door over concerns that the live music from the African Village would be too disruptive and noisy for residents.
Then in September 2018 a proposal was submitted to tear down the restaurant and develop an eight-storey block for 95 flats and ground floor commercial units.
The application, from AAA Developments, is still live according to the planning section of the council’s website which states that a public consultation period only ended in November last year.
