STOURPORT residents could have to put up with the Bridge Street site being used as a car park for the next seven years – unless a suitable development is proposed in the meantime.

The Shuttle reported in August that Wyre Forest District Council’s plans to build three-storey accommodation to house homeless people at the site were rejected by their planning committee.

That decision came after more than 1,300 objections against the schemes were lodged including opposition from Stourport Town Council – and, as we revealed in September, the setback cost the district council almost £200,000.

The council bought the land more than a decade ago from Lloyds Garages but a planned development fell through and it has lay virtually dormant ever since.

Now, the council has confirmed that it will submit a planning application in the forthcoming weeks to continue to use the site at Bridge Street as a temporary car park for a period of seven years.

But it has pledged that this would not prevent a development coming forward at the site during the lifetime of the temporary planning permission.

The application will be the subject of public consultation in the usual way and, because it relates to land owned by the council, the application will be decided by the Council’s Planning Committee.

The council says it can spend no more money on attempting to develop the Bridge Street site, particularly in the light of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and must focus on meeting temporary accommodation needs for the homeless, which is a statutory duty.

Councillor Graham Ballinger, the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Strategy and Finance, said: “There are no resources allocated for any development at Bridge Street in the Council’s capital programme, and that has been the case since a previous administration purchased the site over a decade ago.

“There is no prospect of the Council funding a project in its next medium-term financial strategy in light of its financial position, which has worsened because of COVID-19.

“Future development of the site will therefore depend on viable proposals for a development being formulated and funded by another party, including purchasing the site at market value so that the Council recoups some of the money it has spent.

“We would welcome any viable proposals from the local community or private sector.”

Since acquiring the site in 2009 the Council says it has pursued a number of opportunities to develop it in accordance with the Development Brief for the site, including working with a private sector development partner as well as the Canal and River Trust which owns land to the rear of the site.

However, no proposal has proved to be financially viable.