Walsall Council has refused an application to establish a children’s care home next to the Red Lion pub in Aldridge. The proposal sought to convert a three-bedroom residence on Station Road into a facility for up to three children, aged between 4 and 17, who face learning, emotional, or behavioural difficulties.
The applicant, Harjinder Sandha, intended the home to serve as a ‘secure base’ to improve the quality of life for young people in the area. According to the application, the individual responsible for the care home has 25 years of experience in children’s services, including work as a learning difficulty nurse and recent employment at another children’s home.
The submitted plans argued that the care facility would resemble the existing family home and claimed there was ample street parking available. However, Walsall Council’s highways team raised concerns, stating that Station Road already experiences high levels of on-street parking and that no sufficient evidence was provided to demonstrate adequate parking availability for the new care home.
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Additionally, the application suggested that visitors and staff would utilise the car park at the Red Lion pub. Yet, no formal agreement was included with the application, and the pub subsequently confirmed to the council that it had not given permission for its parking facilities to be used by the care home.