MORE than 100 homes could be built on the site of a former Brierley Hill metal factory if plans are given the green light.

A plan has been submitted by Countryside Properties to Dudley Council's planning department to build 141 houses on the former Stokes Forgings hammer forging plant on Cochrane Road.

Operations stopped at the 3.79 hectare site on Cochrane Road last year and it has been vacant since September 2019.

The business employed hundreds of people at its sites on Cochrane Road and nearby Vine Street.

If granted permission, the development will consist of an assortment of two, three and four bedroom houses, two bedroom bungalows and one bedroom apartments, along with road access, parking and landscaping.

The scheme will provide affordable housing for the area, with 105 homes for 'affordable rent' and 36 homes available for shared ownership, according to the planning statement.

Planning permission to demolish the site was granted in December 2019.

The area is also set to benefit from a nearby Metro stop when the Midlands Metro is extended from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill in 2023.

The planning statement from the developers said: "The application site represents an opportunity to deliver much needed housing for Brierley Hill and the wider area by redevelopment of a brownfield site which has been demonstrated as being unattractive for employment uses.

"By delivering 141 affordable units on the site, it not only meets a shortfall in affordable housing (and housing in general), but also relives pressure to develop greenfield and Green Belt sites."

The application, with the reference number P20/0001, is now open for comments on the Dudley Council planning website.