A plan to convert a house into a children’s residential home has been approved by councillors after more than 200 people signed a petition against the move. The five-bed home in Stella Road, Tipton, near the town’s railway station, will be converted into a residential home for up to three vulnerable children after receiving the backing of Sandwell Council’s planning committee on Wednesday (January 8).
The residential home would provide accommodation for up to three children aged between eight and 17-years-old plus three staff. The planning application drew criticism from neighbours with more than 200 signing a petition against the move. The objections said the residential home would cause parking problems and lead to a potential rise in anti-social behaviour.
Objectors also said the home would be “out of character” for the area and at Wednesday’s planning meeting said they feared drug problems on the estate would be made worse by dealers targeting the potential new residential home.
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At the meeting in Oldbury, Veleta Brown, director of care firm Flipping The Script, said she had “lived experience” of the care system and told the committee that “every child should have the chance to live in a normal environment.” Cllr Jenny Chidley said the home would not be occupied by drug users as some of the objectors had feared, and parking would not be a problem as there was “plenty of room.”
“[The children] are probably going to be better supervised than if they were in a normal family,” she said. Cllr Bob Piper agreed saying the occupants of the children’s home would be better managed than if it was a house which anybody could live in.
“If there are people on the streets now dealing and taking drugs, presumably they are not in a children’s home so that is not an issue that is the fault of the children’s home really,” he said.
The council’s planning officers had recommended the work was approved ahead of the meeting. A report by planning officers said they “[did] not consider that the proposal would generate activities that would be significantly different to a family home” and the visual appearance of the property [would not] be altered to such a degree that would harm the character of the area.”