Fresh bid to replace disused Walsall pub with 15 apartments after previous scheme thrown out

It’s the second application put forward to develop The Boatman’s Rest pub in Walsall Wood by applicant AK & RK Ltd.

If approved, the latest proposals would see the construction of an apartment block with nine one-bedroom apartments, six two-bedroom apartments, 15 car parking spaces, a bicycle rack and landscaping. Vehicular access to the complex would be from St John’s Close, adjacent to the High Street.

The Boatman’s Rest was serving customers until the pandemic forced the business to close its doors in 2020. Since then, the Victorian building has lay vacant.

A similar proposal to pull down the pub and replace it with an apartment block was submitted last year but refused by Walsall Council’s planning committee.

The reasons for refusal included loss of a non-designated heritage asset, over-development of the site and impact on traffic.

Chairman, Councillor Mike Bird, slammed the scheme, saying: "“You’re taking away in my view what is a very attractive building to put there a monolithic block of bricks. And I’m sorry, I’m not putting my hand up for that.”

Residents on St John’s Close also opposed the plans over concerns about increased traffic, parking issues, lack of privacy and the loss of the Victorian building. The site also falls within the Cannock Chase Special Area Of Conservation and at the time of the original application, no mitigation measures had been put forward.

Representing the applicant, NTA Planning LLP said: “Whilst the Boatman’s Rest was open up until the pandemic, it had been struggling to achieve the same numbers of patrons as before and business was declining. Furthermore, the company that ran the pub, AK and RK Ltd, have been insolvent for the last six months.

“As the building currently stands, it is a derelict public house with a neglected overall site which requires a change of use to restore the character and greenness that is present within the area. The proposed new development seeks to utilise a vacant site to provide much needed housing.”