Empty Oldbury care home could be demolished for 18 new affordable homes

The former Grafton Lodge care home in Oldbury would be knocked down and replaced with 18 new ‘affordable’ homes according to a planning application submitted to Sandwell Council.

The care home was deemed “not fit for purpose” and “surplus to requirements” by Sandwell Council which agreed to put the building on the market. The site was valued between £600,000 and £630,000 with the former the estimate price if the land was used for new homes. The local authority said it was open to offers under the market value if it meant more ‘affordable’ housing was built.

A mix of ‘affordable’ two-and-three-bed homes would be built after the former care home was demolished, according to the application by developer Keon Homes and Citizen Housing.

A statement included with the application said: “It is considered that the proposed development would create positive economic benefits to the local area, moderate social benefits and a relatively neutral environmental impact. No adverse material considerations have been highlighted that would outweigh the presumption in favour of sustainable development arising from the proposed scheme.

“It is considered that there would be no other technical constraints to redeveloping the site with any proposed future development considered not to be at potential risk from flooding. The proposed redevelopment of the site for its intended purposes would have minimal impact upon highway safety and capacity and is located in a sustainable location. The redevelopment would also have no implications upon any matters of ecological interest.”

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Grafton Lodge care home was threatened with closure in 2010 with the facilities deemed “outdated” and “too expensive to run” before eventually being deemed surplus to requirements more than a decade later.

Sandwell Council outsourced the running of Grafton Lodge, as well as other care homes in the borough, to the ‘arms-length’ charity Sandwell Community Caring Trust in 2013.

A new £6million care home, Harvest View, opened in Harvest Road, Rowley Regis in 2022. The council reached an agreement in 2017 for staff at Grafton Lodge to move to Harvest View once it opened.