7:30 am, December 8, 2025
An illegal and ‘inappropriate’ car dealership which has been operating without permission for the past three years has lost its latest bid to stay open.
Car Dealer reported earlier this year that West Midlands Cars had been trading from a site in the town of Wednesbury since 2022, despite never receiving proper planning permission.
Since opening, the operation has been the subject of multiple complaints from the public, with residents hitting out at too many cars being storied at the site.
In 2023, the local authority – Sandwell Council – rejected a planning application to officially run the business from the location, with planners describing the proposals as ‘inappropriate’ and ‘to the detriment of residents’.
Despite this, the firm has continued to operate illegally, with cars even spilling into the carpark of a nearby pub, which has been unused for several years.
In February, West Midlands Cars owner, Gul Nawaz, lodged an appeal against the 2023 decision, which has now proved to be unsuccessful.
BirminghamLive reports that the council successfully argued that the business’s parked cars have resulted in severe congestion as well, while also obscuring visibility for other drivers and preventing two-way traffic flow.
During a visit to the site, a planning inspector found cars partially on the pavement in a way that had the potential to force pedestrians with wheelchairs or pushchairs into the road.
The same inspector also criticised the appeal for lacking evidence.
Upholding the original council decision, the inspector said: ‘Limited evidence has been supplied in terms of the number of vehicular movements associated with the use or how staff and customer parking is provided, the inspector said.
‘Furthermore, the frequency and management of deliveries including the parking and turning arrangements for any vehicle transporters or similar vehicles has not been explained.
‘As a result, it has not been demonstrated that the site has the capacity to provide sufficient parking and adequate space to accommodate turning requirements associated with the use.’
Prior to the current operation beginning in 2022, the plot had previously been used by the motor trade back in 2017.
When that business fell victim to enforcement action by the council, locals thought that was the end of it, only for West Midlands Cars to arrive at the Franchise Street plot five years later.
Responding to the latest decision, a spokesman for Sandwell Council said: ‘The car sales use and associated comings and goings is inappropriate in the locality and has a detrimental impact on the amenity of an otherwise predominantly residential area.
‘The retention of the car sales use would impact on the highway network due to visitors to the site and manoeuvring of vehicles.’
