A proposal to convert a Walsall pub into apartments has been rejected again, citing multiple concerns from planning officials.
Walsall: So, there was this plan to knock down a pub called The Boatman’s Rest and build a three-storey apartment block instead. But guess what? The council said no, again! This is the second time the developers, AK & RK Ltd, have tried to get this project off the ground.
The latest idea was to replace the closed pub with nine one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments, plus some parking and bike spaces. They wanted to access the site from St John’s Close, right next to the busy High Street.
But the planning officers weren’t having it. They pointed out that tearing down the pub would mean losing a piece of local history. Plus, they thought the site was too cramped and didn’t have enough green space or affordable housing. They also raised concerns about traffic and the impact on a protected ash tree.
On top of that, the developers didn’t provide enough info on how their plans would affect the nearby Cannock Chase conservation area. They also skipped out on paying a fee for open space contributions, which is a must when there’s not enough green area in a new development.
This isn’t the first time the idea has been shot down. Last year, a similar proposal was labeled a ‘monolithic pile of bricks’ and was also refused for many of the same reasons. The Boatman’s Rest had been serving drinks until the pandemic hit in 2020, and now it’s just sitting there empty.
