Why we need a Fair Deal for Housing and Communities
Ian Shires
Liberal DEMOCRAT Activist Learn more
Government childcare announcement: More Conservative chaos hurting families
The case for a radical, liberal left
Why we need a Fair Deal for Housing and Communities
Government childcare announcement: More Conservative chaos hurting families
The case for a radical, liberal left
Council to act over derelict Willenhall pub site
by Ian Shires on 20 June, 2016
Walsall Council is about to serve an enforcement notice on the owners of the former Brown Jug pub site in Sandbeds Road, Willenhall. “This action is long overdue.” said Liberal Democrat Cllr Ian Shires.
Since taking control of Walsall Council as part of the Lib Dem/Labour Coalition back in May Willenhall’s Lib Dem Councillors have been pressing Walsall planners to take urgent action against the owners of the former Brown Jug site. Why the previous Tory administration couldn’t get this sorted sooner we can only speculate. The site is not secure and the building looks unsafe. It stands in a prominent position on the approach to the shopping area in High Road, Lane Head.
In a further twist over the weekend an unauthorised mobile advert has parked up across the front of the site. Walsall Council has been sent details. If the hire firm in the advert thinks anything of Willenhall they would remove the unauthorised advert without the need for intervention from the council.
It’s not the first time the company has used public space to show off their wares, previously they had parked up on a grass verge in Stroud Avenue.
4 Comments
Wonderful news,now can something be done with the derelict eyesore that is the former Rushbrook Farthing public house on St Anne’s Road Willenhall?
Hi Kathryn
Couldn’t agree more, will make inquiries.
Ian
Hi Ian could you tell me what you have done to sort out the problem with the rushbrook farthing pub it is appalling state
Good question Mr Arnold. Now this is going to sound like a fob off, but I and my colleague Cllr Dan Barker are Councillors for Willenhall North and Short Heath respectively. The Rushbrook is in Willenhall South so is not on our radar.
Having said that, I recently took over the Chairmanship of the West Strategic Locality Partnership Board (West SLPB for short) and it is exactly these sort of issues which, through the West SLPB we are looking to get resolved.
The Rushbrook Farthing is in private ownership, so there’s a couple of things that can be done. The first is to serve a notice on the owner to bring the site the site and building up to an acceptable standard. it is a long drawn out out procedure but it can be done. The second thing that could be done is to ask local residents what they would like to see happen to the site. We could then put this to the owners to see if they were able to comply with the wishes of the local community making it plain to them that doing nothing was not an option. They either work with the local community to find a solution, or the Council serves an Improvement Notice on them.
The obvious question is, what would you like to see happen to the site?