HMO plan for empty Walsall offices next to housing scheme on site of former pub

Morethan Property has drawn up a new plan for the bungalow building on Brownhills High Street, which is situated next to a major housing scheme currently being built.

The developer wants to carry out extensions to the existing property to create the eight rooms for the HMO.

They had previously applied to demolish the property and create a new block of seven apartments in its place.

But this proposal was rejected by Walsall Council planning officers earlier this year who raised concerns about impact that scheme would have on neighbouring properties.

Agents Drawing Services (Houseplans) Ltd said: “The proposal is to extend the existing bungalow and create an eight-person HMO within the building.

“Each room would have its own en-suite shower room and there would be a communal kitchen / living area overlooking the rear garden.

“With regards to parking the scheme proposes to adapt the existing parking at the front of the property to create four spaces with the remaining four to the rear.

“Part of the existing hard landscaping would be replaced with grass / soft landscaping to create a communal garden for the building.

“There are no overlooking issues as the new (currently being built) apartment building to the right has no windows at the rear.

“The bungalow to the left of the site has large areas of planting/trees to obscure the view.”

If this plan is given the go ahead, it would be the latest residential development in the area, sitting next to a large block of apartments being built by Walsall Housing Group on the former Warreners Arms pub site next door.

The pub closed more than 20 years ago and McDonald’s moved on to the site with a drive-thru restaurant, which shut down in 2004 leaving the building empty for years before the housing provider took over.

Walsall Council planning officers are expected to make a decision on Morethan Property’s application later this month.