Changes made in bid to turn empty Oldbury pub into new shops

The new owner of a former pub which has stood empty for more than 30 years plans to convert the building into new shops. The former Perrot Arms, which closed in the 1990s, has stood empty in Oldbury’s Birmingham Road for nearly three decades.

In 2017, Sandwell Council backed a plan to demolish the former Black Country shelter to make way for 22 new flats, but the work was never carried out. A new application to build an extension as part of plans to convert the building into three new stores was then approved by the council in 2019 – but that work never took place either.

Raj Sanghera has now applied for permission to convert the building into two new shops – rather than the three approved by the council five years ago. A statement included by architect Anthony Hope, who was the agent for the 2019 shop plan and now Mr Sanghera’s revised plans, said the building had suffered from decades of neglect and was unsafe.

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“The building has no architectural merit. The current facade, where the windows and doors used to reside, has been blocked off to prevent intrusion. Internally, the vacant building is not in a good state of repair and will continue to deteriorate and become an environmental hazard.

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“The building dates back to the 1840s and spent most of its life as a public house. It has been disused since around 1990 and, due to changes to its facade to prevent criminal trespass, and its state of disrepair, it is commonly labeled an eyesore and frequented by vandals.

“The existing layout of the interior is no longer observable. Due to years of neglect and damage caused by criminals, the interior of the building has collapsed or the parts that have not are not safe to examine.”