RESIDENTS in Rubery have expressed concerns about plans for a supported living scheme for people with alcohol and drug addiction issues and mental health problems which would be based in a semi-detached house.
Those living in the same street and the surrounding area have voiced opposition to the project which would see 30 Holywell Lane used to house eight men.
Hope Centre Ministries, which will run the scheme, already runs similar projects in south Wales – two for men and one for women.
Edlogan Villa in Pontypool is the most established and has been operated by HCM for more than seven years. A second men’s centre in Bridgend opened in 2018 and the women’s one was launched in 2020.
Hope Centre Ministries says the building would be used for up to eight men who would generally live within the local area or have connections to it, although it adds some may come from further afield.
It stresses residents would all have a highly structured routine, which included study, voluntary work, support sessions and access to signposted services. It said residents would be monitored 24-hours-a-day and if those on the programme breached the strict rules, they would be asked to leave.
It states serious offenders with a history of violence would not be housed there but stated it was possible ex-offenders could be housed at the site.
With regard to concerns over alcohol or substance misuse, HCM says it had been a previous issue for residents but they must show a commitment to rehabilitation before being accepted onto the course.
But Rubery residents say the proposals are ‘completely inappropriate’ for the area.
They say the other schemes are in larger stand-alone buildings surrounded by vast grounds or near A-roads and encased by tall hedges and are ‘nowhere near as compact’. This one, people say, is in a semi-detached property in a heavy residential area.
Among their concerns, as well as the property and location being unsuitable, are that it is near two primary schools – Beaconside and Holywell, a secondary school – Waseley Hills High – and a nursery. Pupils use Holywell Lane to walk to school and there are girl guides and WI groups also based in the area.
They also voiced fears about parking as, they say, it is a narrow road and, as well as the three staff members who will be at the site, there would also be visitors and other healthcare workers attending.
They question the number of staff – two full-time and one part-time (who will not always be on the site at the same time) – will be able to monitor the residents living there 24/7.
And they say the current HMO (house of multiple occupancy) currently has five residents living there who have fitted in well to the community and will be forced to live somewhere else.
The application is expected to go before the planning committee and residents are calling on members to organise a site visit so they can ‘see the situation for themselves’.
Group spokesperson Mick Hibberd said: “The residents here are overwhelmingly against this proposal, judging by how man turned out to our recent meeting to discuss it – some 80 or 90 people.
“We feel it is a poorly thought-through proposal in an area that is completely for the area.
“We feel they have submitted this plan with no knowledge or thought of the local area or the impact it will have on the community.”
Residents say they are not anti-rehabilitation or anti-addiction recovery but stress they feel they think this is the wrong location for the scheme.
Hope Centre Ministries response
A spokesman for Hope Centre Ministries said: “Hope Centre Ministries have operated for almost ten years with no issues or resident disturbances.
“Our homes run as a family unit, offering hope to those who already live in our communities who battle with substance/alcohol misuse. “Our homes are strictly zero-tolerance with a program of support that residents fully engage with as part of their licence agreement. “We would like to reassure all local residents that it is not in our interest to create issues in communities, it goes against our values and mission.
“We are available to liaise with residents throughout the process.
“Our homes are not institutions, and people wouldn’t even know it’s a supported housing provision, it blends in as just another home, we firmly believe it will be of benefit to the area, offering a lifeline to many families.”
There have been 70 comments on Bromsgrove District Council’s Planning Portal page opposing the scheme and the residents are urging others who want to comment to do so before the April 21 deadline.
Click here for more on the application and to comment.
Anyone wanting to contact the group of residents campaigning against the proposal can email: [email protected] for more.
