A developer is making a fresh attempt to demolish a pub in the Black Country and replace it with a new convenience store, after councillors rejected the original proposal last year.
Sham Singh has resubmitted a planning application to Sandwell Council to knock down the Crown Inn on Station Road, Old Hill, and build a single-storey shop covering 338 square metres with a 10-space car park. The pub closed in June.
The council refused the earlier application in 2025, saying the land would eventually be needed for housing or employment. But Mr Singh has now come back with a new bid, arguing the authority was wrong to reject the scheme.
Council's housing plans questioned
Sandwell Council earmarked the land at Station Road and Waterfall Lane as a potential site for more than 190 homes more than 15 years ago. However, the site is under a range of ownerships, with many owners looking to redevelop or unwilling to sell, meaning no solid plans are expected to come forward.
A letter included with the new application said there was “no credible argument” that a shop would conflict with the council's planning policies. It added that the council's own planners had “recognised themselves” that 190 homes could not be built on the land in question or the surrounding area.
Mr Singh has also appealed the original rejection to the government's planning inspectors, while simultaneously resubmitting the application based on council advice, the application said.
Employment land designation disputed
The land is expected to be included for employment use in the council's updated and much-delayed development plans, which remain unpublished following the collapse of the joint Black Country Plan in 2022.
The appeal letter argued: “There can be no doubt that the proposals will support, maintain and help to enhance the wider business and employment function of the area by delivering a high quality local convenience retail offering.”
It continued: “It has been shown that the appeal proposals meet the key retail tests and, on this basis, the suggestion that the appeal site would also undermine wider employment allocations is, again, without any credible foundation. Arguably, it would align closer to the employment policy than the current lawful use of the site.”
“Put simply, there is no planning requirement to demonstrate retail need and the inclusion of narrative to this effect as part of the refusal reasons should be afforded no consideration,” the letter added.
Council's previous refusal reasons
A report by the council's planners from last year, which recommended rejection, said: “The development would […] undermine allocations for housing and employment land within the borough, resulting in the loss of much-needed available land for such uses, whereas there is no recognised need for additional retail provision in the area which is met by existing retail provision and proximity of the site to a retail centre.”
The new application will now be considered by Sandwell Council planners, with the outcome likely to be influenced by the ongoing appeal to the planning inspectorate.
