Planners say councillor’s rule-breaking cafe should stay open

A council’s planners have said a Reform councillor’s cafe which opened nearly two years ago without permission should be allowed to stay.

Reform councillor Ritchie Massey opened Massey’s Cafe in a former clothes recycling centre in Oldbury at the end of 2024 without planning permission from Sandwell Council.

Cllr Massey, the cabinet member for adult services, health and wellbeing at Sandwell Council, then applied for restrospective planning permission for the cafe in Fountain Lane, Oldbury, in 2025 but was rejected before applying for a second time in June.

Sandwell Council’s planners have recommended that retrospective permission should be granted for the cafe, which employs five people, when the authority’s planning committee meets on October 22.

Sandwell Council had objected to the application in 2025 over concerns the cafe would undermine existing businesses in Oldbury town centre and for not providing enough parking spaces.

Cllr Massey had told the council the cafe was mostly frequented by customers working for nearby businesses who arrived on foot and that suitable empty units in the town centre were unavailable.

The planning report said: “The applicant has demonstrated that the café would primarily serve employees and visitors within the surrounding employment area, with customer survey evidence showing that over 90% of patrons travel on foot or by public transport. As such, the use would function as a small-scale ancillary facility supporting the local employment area.

“The applicant has confirmed that the parking spaces within the surrounding business park are unallocated and available for use by visitors and employees within the wider employment area.

“Furthermore, numerous site visits undertaken throughout a single day found no evidence of parking stress, indiscriminate parking, or highway safety issues associated with the existing operation of the café.”

The application submitted in the summer said: “The premises operate as a small-scale café serving hot and cold food and drinks, primarily for consumption on the premises. The unit comprises a dining area, kitchen and staff toilet facilities.

“The café is a daytime operation with the majority of customers dining on-site. The proposal provides a local facility for workers within the employment area and supports local employment.”

By Christian Barnett | Local Democracy Reporting Service