Residents in fight to halt hostel over crime and parking fears
HUNDREDS of Solihull residents have urged the council to refuse plans for a hostel, which they fear will fuel crime in their area.
There has been a major backlash against an application to convert the former Fairfield care home site, in Old Warwick Road, into a 19-bedroom lodgings property.
Now a petition, signed by more than 500 local people, has been handed in at Solihull Council House.
Olton councillor Katy Blunt (Con), is among those to have been collecting signatures in recent weeks and said she had been inundated with messages from people living in the suburb.
Residents fear noise and antisocial behaviour and parking problems. One, Claire Harrison, said: “That road is used as a cut through and people drive up it at ridiculous speeds. Parking restrictions have been put in place because it was being used as an overspill car park for the train station.
“There’s already sheltered accommodation on the road and a bail hostel round the corner.”
But others argued that these facilities can prove invaluable for those who find themselves in a position.
The applicant suggests there should be enough parking to cater for those stopping at the hostel, though this is disputed.
In papers submitted to the council, Dilip Mayariya had previously suggested that the building could house a range of groups, from students and backpackers to those in need of a temporary home.
The application said: “The hostel is planned to be put to a range of uses such as: housing for students or nurses, transient accommodation for
difficult those being re-housed elsewhere, shelter for those in need of a safe place to stay on a temporary basis or a tourist facility for those travelling on a budget and ready to accept a standard of accommodation lower than that generally found in a hotel.”
A staff member would live on-site and be available to deal with emergencies, although there would be no 24-hour reception, with check-ins between 10am and 6pm.
Councillot Blunt said that indicating such a wide range of different uses had added to local uncertainty about the impact of the project.