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Allowed27 March 20263368014

Former Kingswinford Youth Centre, High Street, Kingswinford, DY6 8AP

Planning appeal 3368014 at Former Kingswinford Youth Centre, High Street, Kingswinford, DY6 8AP (Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council) was allowed on 27 March 2026 by Inspector Aston R, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the appeal site and area.

Demolition of the existing former youth centre and erection of 49 Retirement Living apartments with associated communal facilities, vehicular access, car parking and landscaping, and provision of a new multi-use games area and children's play area to the southwest of the existing former youth centre

Authority
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Inquiry
Development
residential · Major dwellings
Inspector
Aston R
Postcode
DY6 8AP

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the appeal site and area.
  • Whether the proposed parking provision would be acceptable and highway safety.
  • Whether there would be a loss of playing pitch provision and whether any associated effects would be acceptable.
  • If conflict with the development plan, when taken as a whole is identified, whether such conflict is outweighed by other material considerations.

What decided it

The considerable benefits of delivering much-needed specialist retirement housing on a brownfield site outweighed the only limited to modest adverse impacts identified on character, parking/highway safety and living conditions.

the limited to modest adverse impacts on highway safety and living conditions did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the considerable benefits of specialist housing delivery, moderate economic benefits and modest affordable housing contribution, so the presumption in favour of sustainable development in paragraph 11 d) ii. was engaged and permission granted

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
CSP4ENV2ENV3HOU1HOU2L1TRAN2S17S28S33
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 137Paragraph 104Paragraph 11Paragraph 49Paragraph 66Paragraph 84Paragraph 91Paragraph 110Paragraph 115Paragraph 125Paragraph 129Paragraph 135Paragraph 139

How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.

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The decision letter

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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.