I visited derelict shopping precinct where police operation exposed drug den and lewd acts in public toilets

Locals describe Ravenscourt Shopping Precinct as dirty, rat-infested and the bane of Brownhills.

A quick flick through the news archives echoes the sentiments. I found stories of police operations uncovering a drug den and romping in the public toilets, petitions upon petitions, and failed regeneration efforts.

Aldi owns most of the properties here - there are just four privately owned units which the chain has been unable to buy, preventing the supermarket development from moving forward.

Last week, Walsall Council promised to support Aldi with compulsory purchase orders to bring about the regeneration of Ravenscourt. Following the news, I headed to the site and wondered why people wanted to see the back of this derelict precinct.

The shops are laid out in a U-shape, with a pedestrian courtyard in front of the units – typical for a 1960s precinct. Looking into the courtyard, you can only imagine how it would have looked this time of year as locals race between shops for last-minute gifts or to bag a deal in the January sales.

Instead, moss and weeds as tall as me reclaim the footways, graffiti is strewn across nearly every inch of the building’s facade, the windows are boarded up with chipboard to prevent squatters from taking hold, and sodden canopies leak rainwater as they look as though they’re about to give way.

Brownhills resident Stephanie Broadhurst said: “It was good when there were all shops and things, it was really handy. But since they closed down it’s just an eyesore, there’s youths hanging about and I’m sick of the huge rats down there.”

High Street business owner, Zoe Davies, also described the precinct as an ‘eyesore’ and wants to see it redeveloped. Another High Street business owner, Dai Nguyen, said Ravenscourt is ‘wrecking the whole of Brownhills’.

In 2018, plans were approved to partially demolish Ravenscourt and create a two-storey building with two retail units and a gym. This project never came to fruition either.

The latest ray of hope came in 2022 when Aldi said it wanted to redevelop the site. Walsall Council granted planning permission and said it would support the supermarket in gaining ownership of the four remaining shop owners at Ravenscourt.

Last week, deputy leader councillor Adrian Andrew said: “Make no bones about it. We will back Aldi all the way in order to make this development happen, create new jobs and opportunities for Brownhills, and finally see the back of Ravenscourt.”

Whether the Aldi plans become reality or just another false dawn remains to be seen. For now, the people of Brownhills can only hope that this time, real change is on the horizon.