Traders and shoppers have spoken of the “sad” decline of a once-bustling UK high street, with “vacant shops, rats invading empty buildings and a lack of free parking”.
Brownhills, situated in Walsall, 13 miles northwest of Birmingham, was historically a thriving mining town until the 1950s. A large miner’s statue named ‘Jigger’ stands tall on the High Street as a reminder of its past.
In recent years, people used to travel there “from all over the UK” to visit its market, which sadly closed down in 2010. Today, shop owners say they’re finding it hard to make ends meet and feel not enough is being done to revive the town.
Located along Brownhills’ High Street is an unsightly shopping centre that perfectly captures their frustrations. Ravens Court has been empty for at least 10 years. Despite plans in 2022 for Aldi to take over the site, it remains barricaded, uninviting and off-limits.
Andy Yeomans, who runs Stroker Fishing Tackle and Baits Ltd in the small precinct, told BirminghamLive: “Brownhills was the place to be when Brownhills’ market was on. People used to come from all over the UK, they used to catch the train, it attracted that many people, hundreds.
“Once that went in Brownhills, it went to the dump. Look at Aldridge, Aldridge is nice now. They need to invest, they could do the same thing in Brownhills.
“Aldi was building a new store, what’s going on with that? Just down the road, some buildings have been empty for 10 years, what are they doing with them? Wilko shut down, that was another big store that went. Places have problems with rats outside. Those shops up the road, there are more rats in them than people in Brownhills.”
Parking is a major problem for the local shop owner, Mr Yeomans. Unfortunately, he can only park outside his shop for two hours before having to move due to traffic warden rules.
He says: “We are only allowed to park for two hours out the front. What happens if people want to go to the cafe? We struggle to park here. We park out the front. When they come, we have to move it. They need to make it free parking for residents and shop owners.”
Loki, 61, a tattooed biker, was sitting outside a cafe and commented: “It’s s***. It’s a dying town, all the shops are shut. There is not much regeneration going on. They keep talking about the regeneration of Ravens Court, we are still waiting for that. Walsall is going the same way.”
He added: “You won’t find many people who are happy. It’s a struggling town, but you just have to keep going.”
In response to concerns about Ravens Court and regeneration, Cllr Adrian Andrew, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration at Walsall Council, said: “Over the last 15 years Brownhills has benefited from significant housing development within and near to the district centre and shopping area.
“In total around £50million of investment has delivered 480 new or refurbished homes. In 2021 the council also created a new civic square fronting the high street for use as a recreational space and a location to host community events and seasonal markets.
“The privately-owned Ravenscourt precinct is subject to a planning application from discount retailer, Aldi, for the demolition of the redundant building and development of a new retail store. Planning committee has resolved to grant planning permission for the scheme subject to conditions.”
In response to concerns about rats, a Walsall Council spokesperson said: “The council has not been made aware of any widespread rat issues in Brownhills, and infestations in privately owned empty units would need to be addressed by the owners. Residents are encouraged to report concerns about infestations to the council’s community protection team.”
And addressing parking issues, a Walsall Council spokesperson said: “The council provides 147 free to use long stay car parking spaces in 3 long stay car parks just off Brownhills High Street, 2 located in Church Road and 1 located in Short Street. The 2 hour maximum stay car parking located in High Street and Silver Court Gardens is designed to cater for shorter parking durations to ensure the maximum opportunity for convenient customer parking throughout the day.
“Further unrestricted parking is available in Silver Court Gardens at the rear of the shops and flats above. The council has no plans to make any further changes to the existing 2 hour maximum stay parking that is currently provided on the public highway.”
Inspector Saqib Butt, neighbourhood policing manager for Walsall LPA, responded to the story by saying: “Officers from our neighbourhood team do carry out regular patrols in Brownhills and work alongside businesses to offer support and crime prevention advice. We work closely with our partners including Walsall Council, community groups and other stakeholders to implement long-term solutions aimed at reducing crime and improving public safety in Brownhills.”
He added: “I am a new Inspector covering the Brownhills area and I will be doing my best to meet as many people as possible at upcoming community meetings and to help answer any questions you may have. I would also urge people who do want to report crime to us to contact us via Live Chat on our website or by calling 101. Alternatively you can always call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”
