Letters have gone out across the Broadway Estate over the past week from Walsall Council consulting about land which by default has reverted to the Crown Estate.

It is part of the work that has been going on for over a year now by Walsall Council in acquiring the land around the shops on Nottingham Drive.

You may recall that the Council was granted planning permission to create a car park on the precinct last year. Before it can create the car park the Council needs to acquire the land.

The company who originally owned it went into liquidation some time ago and as a result it now belongs to The Crown. The Crown Estate is consulting through the council prior to any formal agreement.

So where does that lead us? Well it is a step closer to getting the rough area in front of the shops converted to a properly surfaced car park. Will that resolve the ongoing problem of fly tipping? Doubtful, as the flats above, where much of the fly tipping seems to be generated from, are not in the ownership of the Council.

I suppose that the one positive that could come out of the Council acquiring the Crown Estate land will be that it will be able to serve a notice on the new land owner should the build up of fly tipping continue – itself!

On the subject of this fly tipping, I have been in discussions with the Council to ensure that the current accumulation of fly tipping is removed. I have also questioned the viability of the current CCTV camera which has been in place for ages without success. If the expenditure on the land purchase and the provision of a properly surfaced ca park are to be realised to the full there needs to be a proper plan in place for dealing with the ongoing fly tipping problem.