The new tuition center intends to be examined at the request of the concerned councillor

BMH Tutors has sought permission from Sandwell Council to turn the Victorian house in St Mary’s Road, Bearwood, into a “private tuition academy” for up to 20 children studying for GCSEs and A-Levels.

But a decision will now be made by the council’s planning committee, rather than leaving it to officers to decide, at the call of ward councilor Bob Piper, who had concerns about the proposed level of parking.

“6 St Mary’s Road is a stretch of road near Bearwood’s main shopping center which already has a very high daytime demand for shop parking, as well as having a nursery and dental surgery on the same stretch of road. ” he said in an application to Sandwell Council’s planning department. “This causes constant problems with traffic and illegal parking.

“Assuming that the pupils of this school are also likely to require short term ‘teaching’ parking at this location, no parking provided will be inappropriate.

“It is also immediately adjacent to a residential house and the application for a place of worship was previously refused.”

Councilor Piper, who also sits on the planning committee, made the request using powers known as an “appeal”, which allow councilors to ensure a decision is made at a public meeting by the committee rather than through officers council planning.

Most of the council’s planning decisions are made by council staff through ‘delegated powers’.

The house, opposite St Mary’s Church, just off busy Bearwood High Street, would sit next to Bearwood Dental Care and Play House Day Nursery.

BMH Tutors already runs an academy in upmarket Handsworth Wood.

Opening hours would be 2pm to 8pm on weekdays, 9am to 6pm every Saturday and 10am to 6pm on Sundays and during half term and other school holidays.

A statement included in the application said the proposed conversion would not be “noise generating” and would be comparable to a “small school library”.

“There is no need for parking for our students, so no parking spaces will be occupied,” the statement said. “Given the good transport links (bus stop opposite the property) there will be minimal car use for transport.

“We will ensure a smooth transition of students by minimizing movement and maintaining adequate spaces to allow students to depart and arrive individually rather than all together.

“This, combined with two to three hour time slots where there will be no coming and going, will greatly reduce any disturbance to neighbours.”

A plan to turn the two-and-a-half-storey Victorian house into a place of worship “for up to 20 people” was rejected by Sandwell Council in 2010. An appeal to the government’s planning inspector in a bid to have the decision overturned was also refused.

The council said the extra noise and the “comings and goings” of worshipers meant the plans could not be sustained.

The ground floor of the ‘home’ in St Mary’s Road was converted into a large prayer hall in the late 2000s, despite claims that the building was only used as housing, with the council saying it was only notified that the work had taken place after May many complaints from neighbors.

It was claimed the house in St Mary’s Road was only used for “quiet meditation and prayer”, but neighbors said they were disturbed by “singing and ringing of bells” from more than 20 people who were claimed to be at capacity. The “loud” songs also disturbed the children from the adjacent kindergarten during their sleep.