Residential Development Proposed for Former Bowling Green Site

Residential properties are being considered for construction on a bowling green previously associated with an old factory. This green was formerly situated within the Gunnebo Safe Storage premises on Woden Road in Wolverhampton, a location historically occupied by Chubb Safes. The city council rejected an earlier proposal to develop this bowling green in 2019, citing its status as an “active recreational facility” then. However, the pavilion was subsequently demolished in 2021, and the council now describes the site as being in “a very poor state”. Over 100 residential units have been constructed on the wider site in recent years, following the demolition of the factory, with Chubb’s former bowling green being among the few areas that remained undeveloped. Gunnebo Safe Storage UK has submitted an application for the construction of six new homes and nine apartments on the site. In 2022, the city council contacted the company, proposing the conversion of the bowling green into a skate park as part of the ‘legacy’ initiatives for the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham that year. Nevertheless, this project did not proceed, and the site remained vacant. The safe manufacturing division of Chubb was acquired by the Swedish company Assa Abloy in 2000, which subsequently transferred the business to Gunnebo. Several months thereafter, Gunnebo declared the closure of the safe works in Wolverhampton, resulting in 170 redundancies. Gunnebo stated that the factory was “too big” for its operations, as a significant portion of the manufacturing had relocated to new facilities in Willenhall and Wednesfield, with the primary offices eventually moving to Pendeford Business Park. The Local Democracy Reporting Service, which reports on councils and other public service organizations, gathered this information.