PLANNING APPLICATION – DOG KENNEL LANE:
This report focuses on three main issues.
Two developers for Dog Kennel Lane have now submitted their site master-plan planning applications and details can be found via the council planning portal. For ease both Ken and Keith have added the more important documents on their websites. This includes planning statement, the concept mast plan and other plans. Links to their websites can be found on this newsletter.
The application reference to both applications are as follows:
PL/2024/02926/PPOL – Taylor Wimpey application for 700 homes
PL/2023/02656/PPOL – Richborough Estates for 450 homes.
In January 2019 I launched a petition, supported by over 1400 objecting to the site remaining in the boroughs local development plan (LDP). This was not successful and the site remained in the draft LDP following an extensive examination in public held by planning inspectors.
Your ward Councillors seek to get the very best outcomes from this site, including restricting access to and from Cheswick Green village by the existing public rights of way; ensuring the public realm between the new development and Cheswick Green and Dickens Heath meets the needs of existing residents firstly; ensuring pedestrian routes to and from the new development include pedestrian crossings; that enhanced flood attenuation measures lead to a ‘betterment’ in the situation of Cheswick Green residents in and around Willow Drive and Snowshill Way.
Cllr Keith Green says ‘With every new development it brings new opportunities for our Children to raise their families in the same community as they grew up in. Our Town planners with developers need to work together with the local communities to make sure the sustainability and infrastructure is provided to allow and support a flourishing community.’
Residents will have the opportunity to have their say by logging onto the councilsplanning portal or emailing: planning@solihull.gov.uk quoting the above references.
COUNCIL BUDGET ISSUES:
At the Full Council meeting on Thursday 27 February the budget for the 2025/26 financial year will be set and it is already reported that difficult decisions will have to be made.
The council has continually sought to maintain as low a council tax level as it can and is 6th lowest out of the West Midlands authorities, also low compared to the rest of the country. The council receives no revenue support grant funding from central government. The graphs explains where revenue comes from and where it is spent (with the largest amount coming from council tax).
The economic growth of the borough has previously enabled the council to balance the books (through business rate collection) but even though over £100m is collected, we retain just over £65m of this. Therefore, reliance on council tax is a major factor in Solihull, whereas neighbours the situation is different.
Recovery Grant allocations by the government in December saw the rest of the West Midlands local authorities receive grants, whereas Solihull did not. Birmingham received as much as £39m, and the five other authorities between £5m and £10m. Again, Solihull lost out.
It is against this background, and increasing costs of the budget for Adult Social Care and Children’s Services the council has joined with other authorities in applying to the government for ‘Exceptional Financial Support’ This is not a grant, but a loan which will need to be paid back. The council has not applied for relief to set the council tax above the forecasted 4.99% (which is established in the Medium-Term Financial Scheme.
The Council’s Chief Executive, Mr Johnson said: “There will need to be two options for the budget, one assuming our application for exceptional support is successful – we will not be told until mid-late February – and one assuming that it isn’t. We have made the application; we await the outcome.”
CALL FOR SITES:
Following the withdrawal of the draft Local Development Plan (LDP) the council published its renewed ‘Call for Sites’. This where landowners/developers put forward land they own or have rights to for consideration within the new LDP.
The next steps will bring about the publication of the sites put forward and subsequent analysis for suitability for development. This will take many months.
The attached image is not intended to scare, but the hatch markings show the extent of land submitted for consideration in 2016. From these three main sites were eventually considered to move forwards – these were Dog Kennel Lane, Tilehouse Lane/Tythe Barn Lane and land off Bills Lane.
We will continue to monitor the situation where the borough is being put under great pressure to double the number of houses we are expected to build. We must ensure we protect as much green belt as possible. However, we are being forced by government to build, build, build.
TILEHOUSE LANE – PLANNING APPLICATION:
The planning application by Richborough Estates for 450 homes off Tilehouse Lane is still no further forward. The main sticking point for the developers at present is the replacement of sports facilities. These are substantial undertakings and can not be delivered easily. With the formal application being submitted in January last year it is surely proof the applicants were nowhere near ready to have the application determined at planning committee. That is poor practice and has only served to agitate local residents.
There are three sports clubs that play a vital part for the communities of Dickens Heath and Tidbury Green and that the applicants have failed to come up with a plan as to how they will relocate these clubs after almost 12 months is disappointing. We can not understand why such an application was submitted without this important condition being resolved.
‘We are not opposed to any development whatsoever and can help shape other applications in the ward. However, this issue has been ongoing for over 12 months and now id the time for the applicants to withdraw their application and review the situation’.
As always, you can get up-to date information about live and ongoing issues affecting the borough and ward by visiting Ken and Keith’s websites:
Kens website: www.cllrkenhawkins.co.uk
Keiths website: www.keithgreen.co.uk
Ken Hawkins 