Vandal-hit former care home may be razed for flats

A vacant former care home that became a hotspot for vandalism and rough sleeping could be demolished to make way for new flats.

The city council wants to knock down Blakenhall Resource Centre on Haggar Street, in Wolverhampton, to build a three-storey building containing 30 flats.

The facility, which was once used as a care home, shut in 2020 after a series of break-ins and vandalism attacks, with its dementia services moving to the city's West Park.

The site was declared "surplus to requirements" by City of Wolverhampton Council in 2023 and listed for sale as part of a community asset transfer deal to local organisations, which said it would be sold if a suitable tenant was not found.

The former care home, which looked after people with dementia, was deregistered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2015 over concerns around the standard of care after a review found facilities were unsuitable for people with significant mobility issues.

The care watchdog had barred the council-run site from accepting new residents, criticising the authority for bad record keeping and mismanaging medicines.

Proposals for the new building include a mix of one- to three-bed flats, which would "breathe new life into the area", a planning application said.

"The proposal brings substantial benefits, including 30 high-quality, energy-efficient, affordable homes, the replacement of an empty, unused building and the delivery of much-needed affordable housing units," it added.

The works would remove a building that was "not fit for purpose" and had faced issues of "anti-social behaviour and rough sleeping" and would also improve the street, a statement said.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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