Homes plan for former bowling green site

Homes could be built on the site of a bowling green which belonged to a former factory.

The green was once part of the Gunnebo Safe Storage site in Woden Road, Wolverhampton, which had been home to Chubb Safes.

A previous bid to develop the bowling green was turned down by the city council in 2019, because the authority said it was an "active recreational facility" at the time.

But the pavilion was demolished in 2021 and the council said it is now in "a very poor state".

More than 100 homes have been built on the site in recent years after the factory was demolished and Chubb's former bowling green one of the few parts to remain untouched.

Gunnebo Safe Storage UK has applied to build six new homes and nine apartments there.

In 2022 the city council approached the company to suggest turning the bowling green into a skate park as part of ‘legacy’ work for that year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

However, the work never got off the ground and stayed empty.

The safe-making side of Chubb was sold to Swedish firm Assa Abloy in 2000 which then passed on the business to Gunnebo.

Months later Gunnebo announced it was closing the safe works in Wolverhampton with 170 staff made redundant.

Gunnebo said the factory was “too big” for its business after much of the manufacturing side moved to new premises in Willenhall and Wednesfield with the main offices eventually moving to Pendeford Business Park.

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

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