Walsall launches public consultation on local plan
Plans to build almost 15,000 new homes by 2040 will be considered by residents and businesses, after the borough council launched its proposals to the public.
The draft Walsall Local Plan, which was put before the local authority’s cabinet in October, puts forward a “brownfield first” approach to development sites, with the authority saying it wants to minimise the amount of building on green belt land in a number of urban extension schemes.
An infrastructure plan to determine how schools, health services, open space, transport and other facilities will keep up with the rate of housing development planned over the next 15 years has also been included as part of the proposals.
However the document, which went out for consultation this weekend, admits that the authority will have to allocate green belt land for housing if it wants to meet government housing targets due to a dwindling supply of former industrial sites in the borough.
A call for sites to be included in the plan closed in September.
“In recent decades almost all new homes in Walsall have been provided on previously developed land (brownfield land). Most of this has become available as a result of the decline of heavy industry and mining,” said the draft local plan.
“The supply of land from this source has almost run out. What remains is often unstable or contaminated, and is only suitable for industrial or storage uses. The remaining industry meanwhile has proved to be more resilient than expected, and a large amount of new industrial development has taken place, for example the Spark development on the former IMI Copperworks in Pleck.
“We therefore think that there is little option but to allocate land for housing that is currently green belt, if this housing target is to be met in Walsall.”
Over 2,000 homes could be built on one of the largest green belt sites allocated in the proposals, a 195-acre site at Calderfields Golf and Country Club which is currently “under option” to a house builder.
A further 1,200 are planned at a potential south-east urban extension to Brownhills at Home Farm.
Affordable housing targets for sites outside of the green belt will be set between 10% and 30% – while sites within the existing green belt will carry a minimum 50% requirement for affordable homes.
A total of 4,979 homes would be “exported” to other local authority areas under Walsall Council’s preferred option.
The plan also targets an extra 284 acres of land to be used for employment purposes, split between general industrial and storage uses, set to include the 5-acre former Holiday Inn site on Wolverhampton Road West.
Meanwhile, Walsall town centre, which is currently undergoing a £1.5bn regeneration scheme, will serve as the location for “large-scale proposals that serve the wider catchment” under the new local plan.
“As part of our Council Plan and Town Centre Masterplan, residents, businesses and visitors have told us that they want Walsall town centre to be a focal point for the borough – a destination for shopping locally and participating in activities, sport, and leisure,” the document adds.
Residents have until 19 December to respond to the proposals, which have been published on Walsall Council’s website.
