Refusal for Cityheart’s 130-home Solihull scheme

Plans to build 130 homes near Birmingham Airport have been unanimously refused by councillors in Solihull, despite a recommendation to approve by local authority planning officers.

Cityheart was seeking outline permission to develop 130 homes on an agricultural plot on Old Station Road, around a mile from both Birmingham International station and Hampton In Arden.

But councillors at Solihull’s planning committee on 4 November disagreed with the recommendations of its officers, and refused the application on the basis that the location for the development was not sustainable in the Green Belt.

A planning statement prepared by consultants Made It Together described the 17-acre site as “underperforming Green Belt”, which would help Solihull meet its updated yearly housing target of around 1,300 homes.

“The presence of strong, defensible boundaries, namely the M42, Railway, and Old Station Road, helps to contain the site and limits the potential for sprawl or coalescence,” it said.

“The site is a grey belt site that does not serve a strong purpose in the wider Green Belt and does not represent land that would demonstrably be critical in preventing sprawl, preventing merging, and safeguarding encroachment.”

The application drew 87 objections from residents, alongside a representation from Meriden and Solihull East MP Saqib Bhatti MBE – with Henley In Arden Parish Council also expressing concerns over a planned acoustic fence intended to shield residents from the bordering M42 motorway.

But a report put before councillors at Solihull’s planning committee concluded that the overall planning balance of the proposal was “firmly in favour” – and had recommended the scheme be approved.

The application was refused by nine votes to zero.

Plans and documents relating to the scheme can be found on Solihull’s planning portal using reference: PL/2025/01572/PPOL