fury at black country's vertical forest residents' outrage over the 'ridiculous' 15-storey eco-friendly building dubbed the 'wellbeing tower'

Residents have expressed their fury at plans to build a £30million eco-friendly 'vertical forest' in the industrial heartlands of the Black Country.

The 15-storey tower, which will be clad with trees and hundreds of bushes, has been submitted by architects for approval in West Bromwich, West Midlands.

It will feature 77 flats with ground floor shops and is similar to designs that have already sprung up in cities across Holland, Italy and China.

The block - which will be named the Wellbeing Tower - is set to be built by a private developer on the site of a former cinema which closed its doors back in 2002.

There would be basement residential parking for 45 cars, 92 cycle bays and an open-air podium garden on the second floor if the proposals are accepted by Sandwell Council.

But locals in the town have questioned whether such a structure is suitable, saying it would 'stick out like a sore thumb' in an area 'clad with grey concrete'.

The 15-storey tower (artist's impression above), which will be clad with trees and hundreds of bushes, has been submitted by architects for approval in West Bromwich, West Midlands

Many residents pointed to the £72million arts centre 'The Public', which was dubbed a 'pink elephant' when it made headlines back in 2008.

The pink and black building was £20million over budget and opened three years late before closing when the council could no longer afford it.

Locals fear the vertical forest idea, which architects say will cost around £30million, might also prove an unattractive proposition for the area because there is 'not much to enjoy views of in West Bromwich'. 

One resident, 39-year-old Bartosz Olszewski, said: 'I think this would stick out like a sore thumb in West Bromwich. It looks an eyesore to be honest.

'It would be great for other cities like London, Birmingham and Manchester but it will just look silly here. We also need more amenities not more flats.

'Residents living there will just get a view of the top of the bus station, Sandwell College and rows and rows of empty shops.

'The council should just focus on sorting the issue of attracting businesses to the area first because this is bewildering.'

Mother-of-one Tina Sanders, 29, added: 'This looks just like another waste of money like The Public was, which could be better spent elsewhere.

'They have not learnt their lesson. Do our town planners not look around the area? It's run down and derelict and needs more sensible investment that this.

'A giant green tower block is going to look completely ridiculous in a town clad with grey concrete.

An artist's impression of the 'Wellbeing Tower' (pictured left and right). There would be basement residential parking for 45 cars, 92 cycle bays and an open-air podium garden on the second floor if the proposals are accepted by Sandwell Council

Many residents pointed to the £72million arts centre 'The Public' (pictured above). The pink and black building was £20million over budget and opened three years late before closing when the council could no longer afford it

'Who on earth is going to live in a swanky eco-friendly apartment overlooking West Bromwich?

'I'm proud to be a Black Country girl but there's not much to enjoy views of here I'm afraid.'

Others took to social media, with one local writing: 'If Sandwell Council approve this then that proves how much they waste money on stupid projects.'

Another added: 'There's already plenty of plants in West Bromwich...but they are mainly cannabis plants.'

A third said: 'What an absolute eyesore, is this some sort of joke' while another asked 'Is it April 1 already?'

But others have welcomed the move to try and brighten up the town and breathe new life into a centre, where nearly a fifth of shops currently lay empty. 

A resident said: 'It's about time they did something to try and brighten up the area. Positive changes for once yet everyone still puts the boot in.'

Another commented: 'Great idea, they already do this in other countries, Italy and Singapore.

'Much better to look at greenery than concrete and far healthy as plants cleanse the air.' 

Others have welcomed the move to try and brighten up the town and breathe new life into a centre, where nearly a fifth of shops currently lay empty (artist's impression of block pictured)

Councillor Bawa Singh Dhallu, who represents West Bromwich Central, said: 'I am not sure myself of the planning into this redevelopment, but I am definitely in favour of regeneration.

'We had a meeting to discuss the redevelopment. No one has put concerns to me yet, but I would be happy to speak on their behalf if they so wished to.'

Paranjit Sehdeva, director of Integrated Designs & Associates Ltd, the architects behind the plans, said: 'For this project we did about a year and a half of pre-applications.

'It was difficult with the pandemic and the lockdown but Sandwell Council have worked very well with us, and they supported the application quite thoroughly right the way through the process.

'The idea is to create a living garden on the outside of the building.

'We thought people can't always have gardens in apartment towers, so we'll bring the garden to them, and create a "garden atmosphere" on their balcony, so every single apartment has a garden accessible to them from their balconies.

'We call it the Wellbeing Tower because it is designed around that.

'People should have a place to live, where they may not have access to a big garden, but they have access to a garden facility that will assist them in their living, and as a way of gaining some mental stimulation. It's important for mental health.'