Local authorities will ‘fight their corner’ on land framework

The deputy leader of Solihull council fears the area’s substantial green belt is vulnerable to attack – as the West Midlands Combined Authority gets ready to draw up an over-arching development plan for the region.

This month, WMCA launched a consultation on plans to draw up a spatial development strategy for the combined authority area, a set of long-term proposals that set out where new homes, industrial sites, transport and green spaces should be built across the region.

Announcing the proposals last month, WMCA said the strategy would “support the local plans of councils” who would keep control of detailed planning policy, site allocations and green belt boundaries.

The strategy is being developed in response to a central government mandate which requires all major regions to produce a plan for their part of the country, tied into a manifesto target of building 1.5m homes before the end of the parliament in 2029.

In December, then housing secretary Angela Rayner said the return of regional planning frameworks, abolished by the Liberal/Conservative coalition government in 2010, would help regions to deliver on the new central government targets.

The spatial development strategy will set targets for the wider region, and for local authority areas. However, local authorities will retain control of where developments happen via their existing local plans.

But the move has drawn concerns from some, who fear the plan could become a mechanism to land “unrealistic” building targets on their areas.

At a WMCA meeting in July, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s deputy leader Cllr Ian Courts successfully argued for an addition to seven principles guiding the authority’s proposed spatial development strategy, which called on any future policy to recognise the strategic importance of green open spaces in the West Midlands.

Two-thirds of land in Solihull borough is designated as green belt, some 30,000 acres.

In comments published in September, Cllr Courts said the authority was already “under siege” from developers due to changes in national planning policy – with the launch of the consultation prompting him to reiterate his concerns over potentially heightened pressure on green belt land within the borough this week.

“I think everyone understands the pressure of need for housing and Solihull has always been willing to play its part. However, the issue is the where, the how, the when, as well as the numbers; fundamental to this are the policy changes made by the new government regarding development in the Green Belt, which constitutes two thirds of our borough,” he said.

“What is accepted is that in total the seven councils of the WMCA will not be able to meet our housing needs, but other adjacent rural areas such as Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire have increased targets too.

“It’s clear that the majority [of green belt land ] is located within Solihull so you can see why we are so vulnerable to attack. But the Green Belt has to be about more than just somewhere to build houses, and this is why I have been championing the added principle for the [ spatial development strategy ] and will continue to focus on the importance of our green spaces and local character. We will continue to take active steps to fight our corner in the region to protect our borough.

“Locally, I continue to stress that planning needs to be done on the best principles of good design, not just developers’ boxes. We must look at development that makes best use of existing infrastructure, minimising pressure on existing congested communities.

“It must also provide proper green infrastructure to help address the massive decline in wildlife species that we are seeing. The houses to be built should be for local people and allow the young to buy their first home in the communities they grew up in.”

The West Midlands Combined Authority says its new strategy will help deliver a “fairer distribution of new housing across a wider area”, which it says will help local councils to find enough land to meet housing targets set by government.

A series of drop in events are being held across the region this month and into December, alongside an online response platform, before the consultation shuts down later next month.

A first draft of the proposed strategy is expected to go out for consultation based on the feedback received, and the final strategy could be adopted as early as 2028.

Once adopted, the policy will shape developments across the region for the next 20-30 years.

“This is part of our mission to make the West Midlands the best place to live, work and do business,” said West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker, speaking at the launch of the proposals at the beginning of November.

“That means putting the jobs, homes and transport links people need in the places that can best drive growth and prosperity across all our communities.

“This strategy will shape the West Midlands – both socially and economically – for decades to come. I encourage everyone to have their say and help us build the future of their own neighbourhoods and wider region.”

The consultation is available to view on the West Midlands Combined Authority website, with responses open until 12 December.