36-bed HMO opposite £7.5m West Bromwich town hall restoration rejected

The grade II listed former offices in West Bromwich High Street, opposite the town’s newly restored Town Hall and Central Library, will not be converted into a house of multiple occupation (HMO) after Sandwell Council rejected the application.

The local authority’s planners turned down the move to extend the listed building for a prospective HMO adding that with no formal planning application, it was unable to decide whether the “harm” from the extension to the building could be outweighed by the benefits of bringing it back into use as housing.

A report outlining the council’s decision said: “As the heritage statement that accompanies the current application acknowledges, a degree of harm to the designated heritage asset would occur.

“This harm needs to be balanced against public good – in this case by bringing the buildings back into use and providing residential units.

“As there is currently no valid application for planning permission, it seems that there is no ‘public good’ to weigh the acknowledged harm against and therefore the local authority is not able to make a balanced judgement.”

Sandwell Council approved plans to turn the former offices into a 35-bed HMO in 2020 but the work was never carried out. The three-year planning permission lapsed resulting in a fresh application.

The rear wing of the listed Georgian building would have been demolished to make way for a new two-storey extension according to the now rejected application. The 36-bed HMO would have come with shared kitchens and living rooms and a four-space car park.

The £7.5m year-long restoration and renovation of West Bromwich Town Hall and Central Library was completed last month.

A statement included with the application by Rachpal Takkhar said: “The building has been vacant from last few years and the proposed use will bring the building in in use and would create more activities to the street.

“The proposed will provide additional 36 accommodations to the locals and will uplift the area in general. The proposal will create jobs for the locals and would support the local economy.”