'Beatties redevelopment wait has gone on far too long'
Council leader Stephen Simkins takes part in BBC Radio WM's Hot Seat segment on air.
**'Beatties redevelopment wait has gone on far too long'**
Wolverhampton’s council leader has said the delay in redeveloping the former Beatties department store has gone on “far too long”, with the council now taking steps to bring the landmark building back into use.
Alongside Beatties, he also discussed housing shortages, other long-derelict sites across the city and worries about Wolverhampton’s taxi licensing system.
The future of the former Beatties department store was among the first topics raised by listeners.
The Victoria Street building has been empty since House of Fraser collapsed in 2019 and, despite changing hands, it still has not been redeveloped.
Dawn Barrett said many residents were worried about what would happen to Beatties
Listener Dawn Barrett said many people felt the city was not looking after one of its best-known buildings.
“It’s like we don’t care and that’s horrible,” she said.
Simkins said the council shared residents’ frustration.
“Beatties is part of our family. It’s part of our DNA,” he said.
He said the authority had “tried tirelessly” to work with the developer and had served enforcement notices to make sure the building stayed safe and maintained.
The council leader also said the authority was applying for a compulsory purchase order, which he estimated could take between six and 12 months.
If that succeeds, he said the council would look for a development partner and consider plans including retail units on the ground floor and homes above.
Housing was another major theme during the programme.
Listener Diana raised concerns about the former eye infirmary site, saying it had been left abandoned and derelict for a long time despite being a prime development location.
Simkins said the problem reflected a wider issue councils face when privately owned sites are left stalled.
“The theme is the way that the market is constructed and there’s no powers for us to intervene into that market,” he said.
“We need to change that. We desperately need housing.”
Simkins said Wolverhampton had about 8,000 people on its housing waiting list
The council leader said Wolverhampton had about 8,000 people on its housing waiting list and needed more homes across the city.
He pointed to strong demand for bungalows as people live longer, as well as family homes in one of the West Midlands’ youngest cities.
Simkins suggested pension funds could help pay for future housing developments and said councils would need to work with neighbouring authorities to build more homes.
“We need a massive amount of money, we need billions to actually get the housing standards, not just of Wolverhampton, but the country, up to a decent place to live,” he said.
Taxi licensing also came under scrutiny.
Wolverhampton has become one of the country’s biggest private hire licensing authorities, with many licensed drivers working outside the city.
When asked whether the council issued too many licences, Simkins said: “Yes, we do ... I agree it’s wrong. So we need to change that.”
However, he said current legislation stops councils from refusing applications simply because drivers are based elsewhere.
Simkins said safety remained the council’s top priority and called for changes to the law, especially to protect women.
He added that licences could be revoked within 24 hours if concerns arose and urged passengers to report problems if a driver did not match the photograph shown on their licence.