EYESORE shops which have stood derelict for more than two decades in Colley Gate finally look set to go after Dudley Council announced plans for homes on the site.
The council wants to flatten the dilapidated shops at the junction of Colley Gate and Colley Lane and build eight apartments in their place.
The news will be welcome to local residents who have complained about the pitiful state of the shops for years.
The one bedroom apartments will be rented out by Dudley Council.
A letter to local residents states: "Subject to land purchase and planning permission being granted, we anticipate work would potentially start Summer 2022 with the development due for completion Summer 2023."
Pic: The design by Dudley Council
A public consultation will be held at Providence Methodist Church, Colley Orchard, on Wednesday January 26 from 3pm till 6.45pm, where residents can view plans and ask questions.
Coundillor Natalie Neale and Tory campaigner Jason Thorne said: “It has been a long and difficult fight for passionate local campaigners in Cradley who have been working to get these shops demolished and rebuilt for many years.
"We are thankful for their work and support to get to this point."
Cllr Simon Phipps, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “These shops have blighted Colley Gate for far too long, so it is high time that something was done about it once and for all.
“The plans that will soon be released represent a good project for Colley Gate, providing affordable housing and regenerating an area that has been left behind by others.
“We are determined to transform the fortunes of small towns right across Dudley Borough, and we won’t be afraid of using the powers that are available to us to bring about regeneration in areas that really need it.
"Colley Gate is the first of many projects we hope to bring forward in the future.
“The next step will be to consult local residents on the proposals, and then move forward with a full planning application so the council can pursue its interest in acquiring the shops not currently in its possession.”
Only one shop - the former Chinese - is owned by the council - which will use Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) to acquire the other three shops, which are owned by the same person, if necessary.
Cllr Phipps said a planning application has to be submitted before the CPO process can begin.
Plans from Hortons Estate Ltd to demolish the buildings and to build four shops with flats above in their place were announced last February, but were later dropped.
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