Walsall children’s home plan rejected as crime levels in area ‘too high for vulnerable kids’

Applicant Assist Development Ltd hoped to convert two semi-detached, three-bedroom homes on Dartmouth Avenue in Blakenall into one children’s residential care home for four children aged 7-17.

The children who would have used the home are those referred to the care company who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The plans stated that there would be a maximum of five members of staff onsite at any one time.

It was recommended for approval by Walsall Council’s planning officers but was called in to be decided by the planning committee by ward councillor Pete Smith.

Councillor Smith said the proposal had inadequate parking and access and that it would be a detriment to highway safety, the character and visual amenities of the area due to poor design.

A petition signed by 331 residents echoed councillor Smith’s concerns.

At the meeting on Thursday (April 24) two speakers were against the proposals (councillor Smith and Nicola Smith) and one speaker was there to support the application on behalf of the applicant (Junaid Butt).

The arguments presented by the speakers were mostly dominated by parking concerns.

Nicola Smith said: “The area is already saturated with social buildings. There’s care homes at either end of the road, there’s two schools, two churches, and four multi-occupied houses already on Dartmouth Ave which causes parking problems.

“There’s also a lorry transport business and we have lorries coming up and down who struggle as it is.

“Where the home is, it’s a lot more narrow than the rest of the road. So if there’s further parking it’s going to cause an obstruction for buses and other vehicles.”

But Mr Butt said six cars could ‘comfortably’ fit onto the driveway designed for just four cars.

During the debate, members’ focus was mainly on the crime levels in the surrounding area, and how it would impact the vulnerable children living at the home.

Ward councillor for Blakenall, councillor Izzy Hussain, said: “I can’t support this. I’m not knocking the officers, as far as ticking boxes they’ve done that. But as elected members and corporate parents we have to go one step further.

“This street alone, there’s people speeding in the night, there’s boy racers, off-road bikes.

“In the last two years, we’ve had a young man shot not too far from there, a young girl aged seven killed by an off-road bike driven by a 14-year-old.

“In the last few months, a young man was stabbed to death, and around the corner from here recently, we had a drive-by shooting, I heard.

“This is just some of the things, there’s a lot more going on. We have a duty to our children and I wouldn’t be comfortable putting them there.”

Councillor Aftab Nawaz, who lives in the area, said: “You must be totally blind and deaf if you’ve been in this area and not noticed there’s a criminal issue.

“Taxis and buses get bricks chucked at them and stolen. Once it becomes nighttime in that area, it’s very difficult for people to live there.

“I’ve always supported care homes, but we have a duty of care towards those children. You can’t just put vulnerable children in an area that you know has existing problems. It’s not a suitable place for them.”

Councillor Suki Samra said: “I can’t support this because we would be putting these children in this area. I don’t think the applicant has carried out the right due diligence. If they had, they would have realised what a bad area it is.”

Councillor Rose Martin said: “As a corporate parent I’m extremely concerned for the safety of our children. Community protection has not even responded. We’ve got the highways and parking problems, I would like to propose that we do not support this application.”