THE new owner of an eyesore former pub left empty for more than 30 years plans to turn 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.

A plan to demolish the former Black Country watering hole to make way for 22 new flats was backed by Sandwell Council in 2017 but the work was never carried out. A new application to build an extension as part of plans to turn the building into three new shops was then approved by the council in 2019 – but that work did not take 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 shops plan and now Mr Sanghera’s revised plans, the building had suffered from decades of neglect and was unsafe.

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

“The building dates back to the 1840’s and spent most of its life as a public house. It’s been disused since around 1990, and due the alterations to its frontage to prevent trespassing, and its deteriorating state, it is commonly labelled as an eyesore and frequented by vandals.

“The existing layout of the interior is no longer observable. Due to years of neglect and damage from trespassers, the interior of the building has collapsed, or parts that haven’t are not safe to be surveyed.”