A SOLIHULL shopping parade could be extended to provide 55 new flats, according to proposals being considered by borough planners.
The Station Road parade, the location of the White Swan and the Flute and Flagon pubs, would have a rooftop extension to accommodate up to 110 new residents, in ‘high quality’ apartments with rooftop gardens.
There are currently 22 maisonette flats above the shops and pubs on the site. The owner, PWin Properties Solihull, hopes to add a fourth story to the flats to be let to private tenants.
Shops currently on site would be kept, and flats refurbished.
Melvin Robinson, director of PWin Solihull, which owns the buildings, told the Solihull Observer: “The building is a gateway to Solihull, but at the moment I think it is in a sorry state.
“The retail side of life is challenging, originally we tried to create a restaurant and bar destination, as retail is not possible as much nowadays.
“But the real problem is two fold – first, the upper floors look terrible and it has always been a problem, as the many times we have tried to improve, it just gets trashed. It has needed a lot of improvement as the flats are too poor in quality.
“Lack of parking there would mean it is not ideal to sell the flats, which is why I want them to be quality rental properties.
“The development will be a total refurbishment of what exists. Most importantly for us it will have a complete refurbishment of all the common areas, as the access points are a constant problem.
“Tenants just don’t look after the common parts. The access point such as doors are subject to vandalism. If we can get the type of tenants in who will look after the common areas it will be a better place to live, as Solihull is a decent town.
“The reason the maisonettes are lower rent now is because they are just not nice to live in. Although we replaced all the windows, the condition is still poor.
“It reached the point where unless we do relatively radical things, the condition would’ve continued to decline.”
In drawings for the roof extension, JM Architects suggest a mansard roof structure with two floors, which would be clad in zinc panels with double height windows.
At the rear of the flats, facing the Solihull Premier Inn, upper flats would have balconies with flat metal balustrades.
Three new lifts would be put in behind the parade to allow access to the flats above.
The former Laithwaites Wines store would be converted to be a service area for the apartments, with space for 55 bicycle racks.
