Historic site in Netherton set to become new apartments

The former Autocycle Engineering buildings on the corner of Kingsley Street and Bell Road will become 11 one-bedroom flats which will bring the empty site back into use.

The site comprises three buildings which were used for the manufacture and sale of a wide variety of motorcycle spares and developers plan to retain the heritage of the buildings.

In a statement supporting the application, BPN Architects said: “By retaining the existing buildings on site we ensure that the property will have additional character which will make the flats more desirable.

“By retaining and retrofitting what is already there, we reduce the carbon footprint of the development by using less materials and energy.

“The scheme is also proposing to respectfully restore a piece of history as one of the buildings on site is almost 100 years old and has served a multitude of uses.”

The project will include a courtyard for residents with steps to the first floor and provision for 11 off street parking spaces.

A report from planning officers reveals a change in how planning applications are considered after Dudley Council fell short of a requirement for housing delivery.

The report said: “The government introduced the housing delivery test as part of a commitment to boost housing delivery across England.

“The test measures three years of net housing delivery within a local authority against a three-year target.”

Results from December 2024 show Dudley scored 63 percent in the test, failure to deliver 75 percent over three years results in the forced introduction of measures including a presumption in favour of sustainable development.

The report added: “The consequences of the above means the council needs to prepare an action plan to assess the causes of under-delivery and identify actions to increase delivery in future years, include a buffer of 20 percent to their identified supply of specific deliverable sites and the ‘tilted balance’ will be engaged for decision making.”