A shipping container storage facility in Tividale, Oldbury, has been granted permission to operate 24 hours a day permanently, after Sandwell Council scrapped previous restrictions that limited its opening hours.
The facility, located on Tipton Road opposite the Diamond Bus depot, contains more than 50 shipping containers and opened last year under temporary two-year planning permission with restricted hours. The original 24-hour plans were rejected at that time.
Permanent 24-Hour Approval
Simon Dunn, from Oldbury-based bus operator Rotala, submitted plans earlier this year to make the facility permanent and allow round-the-clock operation. The council has now backed the proposal.
Under the previous approval, the storage facility was restricted to 7am to 7pm on weekdays and 9am to 3pm and 12pm to 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The new permission removes all time restrictions.
Noise Monitoring Evidence
The application, submitted in February, argued that the changes would result in minimal noise impact. According to the application: “Noise monitoring was carried out over a number of weeks to determine the current impact of the storage operations on the surrounding neighbours.”
“The report concluded that the current site generates very low operational noise, particularly when in comparison with other dominant noise sources within the area,” the application added. “From the applicant’s experience in operating other sites the general hours of use are 8am-6pm, and nighttime activity is a rarity. Therefore, with the extension of the operating hours, only a low noise impact could be expected on the closest residential properties.”
Site History
The site, on the corner of Tipton Road and John’s Lane, was formerly home to SGS House, a pharmaceutical testing facility and NHS laboratory, which closed in 2008. The land had been empty for nearly a decade when the storage plans were submitted in 2024. Part of the site had recently been used as a car park by Diamond Bus. The majority of the NHS offices were demolished in 2020.
