A WOLLASTON councillor has written an open letter to the council’s housing boss calling for public reassurances over the future development of two former care home sites in the village.

Cash-strapped Dudley Council confirmed last month it had bought the former Rosemary Retirement Home site in Vicarage Road for £1.9 million and the old Woodlands Retirement Residence site in Bridle Road for £960,000 – a total spend of £2,860,000.

The move has sparked anxiety among residents living near to the former homes – especially as it’s understood the council wants to turn the former Rosemary site into a house of multiple occupation (HMO).

Wollaston and Stourbridge Town councillor Andrew Tromans (Labour) has called for a full public consultation regarding any plans for the sites and he has urged the local authority to rule out plans to turn either into a HMO.

In an open letter to the council’s cabinet member for housing and communities – Councillor Ian Bevan – he said: “With more than 4,400 Dudley residents on the housing waiting list, as of August 9 2024, and many more living in overcrowded accommodation it is clear that additional social and affordable homes are needed.

“However, these new homes must be well-considered so they blend in well with the existing community of Wollaston.”

The letter, published on the Change,org website, calls for any consultation to include a two-stage process allowing residents to provide initial feedback on proposals for the former care home sites and to see revised plans reflecting feedback received.

Cllr Tromans has also stressed any consultation should take place in an easily accessible venue in Wollaston and for it be well-publicised.

And he’s urged Cllr Bevan to rule out the use of either care home as HMO-style accommodation.

He also reminded the council that a plan for a large HMO on the former Rosemary Retirement Home site was rejected in December 2023 with objections from the West Midlands Police, local councillors and more than 200 residents due to concerns that crime and anti-social behaviour, parking and traffic problems would be increased.

Cllr Tromans said the community would prefer both The Woodlands and Rosemary sites to be used as care homes again or step-down facilities for patients leaving hospital, or for the former care homes to be reserved for accommodation for the over 55s.

Dudley Council has previously stated that the former care homes are to be used to provide social housing, with the former Rosemary site considered suitable for use as a house of multiple occupation (HMO), and the Woodlands site likely to be converted into three family homes.

There has been no update on the Rosemary site since the council confirmed in August how much it had paid to purchase it and it's understood that an architect has been engaged regarding the Woodlands site to look at options.

The council has not commented on the requests made by Cllr Tromans.

The authority has previously suggested people would be able to have their say on future usage of the sites through the planning process.