The familiar sight of a closed and boarded-up pub is a story repeated across the UK, and Sandwell's towns have not escaped this trend. In 2025, the borough saw a mix of final farewells and tentative new beginnings for its historic watering holes, with planning applications revealing starkly different futures for these community landmarks.
From Pints to Plans: Pubs Facing the Wrecking Ball
For several of Sandwell's long-empty pubs, 2025 brought confirmation that their original purpose is gone for good. The former Friar Park Inn on Crankhall Lane in Wednesbury is finally set for demolition, over two years after Sandwell Council first approved its removal. Developer SEP Properties plans to replace it with 14 flats and a shop.
Similarly, the fire-damaged shell of the Merrivale pub in Oldbury, empty since 2013, received unanimous approval from the council's planning committee in October to be knocked down. The site is slated for a new lease of life as an 'upmarket' Simply Fresh grocery shop, following the abandonment of earlier plans for a Hindu temple.
In Oldbury, the Perry Hill Tavern on Perry Hill Road was granted permission for demolition in December. The application cited the need to remove a focal point for anti-social behaviour, with early proposals suggesting 34 homes could eventually be built on the land.
A Glimmer of Hope: Historic Buildings Repurposed
While some pubs face complete erasure, others are being given a chance at a new, albeit different, existence. After lying empty and dilapidated since 2009, the former Nag’s Head in Great Bridge, Tipton, will be transformed. A planning application by Davinder Bhurji, approved by the council, will see it become two retail units, two flats, and a five-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO).
In Wednesbury, a nearly decade-old saga at the Forge Tavern saw a resolution in March. Plans to convert it into an eight-bed HMO were approved, following the rejection of several other proposals, including two attempts to open an Islamic tuition centre. Notably, the ground floor bar area was reserved for future use, leaving a sliver of possibility, however remote, for a pub-related revival.
Decisions and Delays: The Planning Process in Action
The year also highlighted the complexities of local planning. The Old Court House in Lower Church Lane, Tipton, which closed in 2021, had plans for ten flats rejected by Sandwell Council, which argued the site would be "over-intensified."
Meanwhile, the fate of the long-empty Wheatsheaf in Rowley Regis remains undecided. New proposals to demolish it for assisted living flats for adults with learning disabilities are pending a council decision, following an 18-month approval process for a previous flats plan that was never acted upon.
This year's developments in Sandwell paint a clear picture of the challenges facing traditional pubs. While the decline is undeniable, the planning applications show these buildings are not always destined to remain decaying eyesores. Instead, they are increasingly seen as sites for vital housing, new retail, or community-focused developments, ensuring they continue to play a role, if not the one they were originally built for, in the borough's evolving landscape.
