A 30-year-old glazing firm in Cradley Heath fears it will be forced out of business by plans to build nearly 100 new homes on its industrial site. Several industrial and commercial buildings at the former F. & L. Smout & Sons site in Woods Lane will be demolished to make way for 82 houses and 15 flats under plans by Liberty Developments.
The application was approved by Sandwell Council's planning committee on June 10, despite a plea from the owners of Woods Lane firm Howells Patent Glazing. They fear the new homes will not only push them out of the area but out of business entirely.
Business Owner's Plea
Tracey Jackson, speaking on behalf of 79-year-old founder Walter Howells, urged councillors to reconsider the move and its wider impact. "There is nowhere for us to go, there is no premises available," she told the planning meeting. "The council have looked as well, there is literally nowhere that can house what we need to do. We have looked ourselves, many times. It will put us out of business."
The firm, which employs 19 people, opened in the town in 1997 and moved to Woods Lane, next to Cradley Heath railway station, in 2008. Ms Jackson said the company had been searching for an alternative site for a "considerable time," but spacious premises were "extremely limited" in the area.
"Not only is it difficult but it's financially impossible," she said, highlighting a "significant" gap between the compensation offered and the cost of moving to a new building. "If this business is forced to leave the current site, there is no guarantee that our skilled workforce will be able to relocate with us," she added. "We want to remain in Sandwell, we want to continue employing local people, we want to continue contributing to the borough's economy like we have done since 1997."
Ms Jackson noted that most of the workforce had been with the company for more than a decade. "They are not temporary jobs, they are skilled long-term manufacturing jobs carried out by expert employees whose knowledge and experience has been built up over many years," she said. "We recognise there is a need for housing, however housing should not come at the expense of existing businesses where the consequences have not been fully considered."
Council's Decision
Cllr Connor Horton reluctantly called for approval, expressing "tremendous sympathy" with the business owner but fearing a planning inspector would overturn a refusal on appeal. "I don't think there are enough material planning grounds to refuse the application and we really do sympathise ... but I'm very confident the planning inspector will overturn our refusal," he said.
Cllr Luke Cotterill added: "Something doesn't quite sit right with me. Being in the Black Country and being asked to shut down a manufacturing business doesn't seem quite right for me."
The application by Mark Grady from Liberty Developments stated that half of the buildings on the site were empty and many in disrepair. Sandwell Council's planning officers had recommended approval, saying: "The design of the development is of good quality and proposes a notable number of affordable homes which, on balance, offsets the loss of non-designated heritage assets and the partial loss of land designated as a site of local importance for nature conservation."
