SOLIHULL Council says it has ‘moved at pace’ to deal with some of the concerns planning inspectors raised about its Local Plan.
Last month issues including the authority’s ability to deliver its planned 2,240 new homes on the NEC site within the required timescale were raised in a letter from the independent Inspectors.
The NEC development forms a major element of the overall housing supply in the Plan, and would be by far the largest single site in terms of dwelling numbers they say.
However one sticking point is that Solihull’s Plan anticipates completions at the NEC site from 2026/27 onwards, with 217 done in the first year of delivery.
Since this was raised Solihull Council say it has agreed the length of the Plan will be adjusted to the 15-year period from when it is adopted – which would be to 2037 – if the plan is given the green light this year.
A Solihull Council spokesperson said: “This adjustment does have implications for the number of homes each site will need to deliver, but as most of these additional homes are expected to be realised towards the end of the Plan we are confident there is enough flexibility in our proposals to accommodate this change, and we are not seeking to identify any further sites.
“We are currently working closely with the NEC to provide the evidence to justify their ambitious vision for the site that would see the delivery of more than 2,000 new homes by 2036.
“The Council has moved at pace to deal with some technical details, for instance, providing an update on a likely housing trajectory that the Inspectors highlighted.”
The examination in public hearings that took place from September 2021 to February 2022 raised a number of issues that the inspectors wanted the Council to respond to before they could confirm whether the plan is sound.
More information about the Local Plan can be found by clicking here.
