A new planning application has been submitted for the construction of affordable flats on the former day centre and library site on Harvest Road, Rowley Regis. SWG Construction, in partnership with Sandwell Council, proposes to build eight flats consisting of one, three, and four-bedroom units.
The former Harvest Road day centre, which doubled as a library for over a decade, was demolished after the council granted demolition permission in 2022. The site is now earmarked for much-needed family housing.
Housing officers at Sandwell Council emphasized a “critical shortage” of larger flats, particularly three and four-bedroom units, for families requiring more space. This shortage is reflected in the housing mix included in the latest planning application.
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According to council data, demand for one-bedroom flats among those with a ‘non-emergency’ housing need, such as overcrowding, results in nearly a one-year wait. The wait times are significantly longer for larger flats, with ‘very high’ waits extending beyond four years for three-bedroom flats and almost nine years for four-bedroom flats.
In addition to housing, the council previously approved an NHS proposal to build eight houses on part of the site in 2021. The former day centre itself had served as a special library service since 2012, providing books to the elderly, disabled, and nursing home residents before the service relocated.
These new flats will be situated opposite the Harvest View nursing home, an 80-bed facility opened in 2022 that integrates health and social care to support patients returning home after hospital stays.
Separately, SWG Construction and Sandwell Council are also exploring a similar affordable housing project near the new Horseley Road metro stop in Tipton, further expanding housing options in the region.