A developer has re-submitted plans to build 13 new homes on a field in Oldbury, a decade after the land was sold by Sandwell Council. The planning application again seeks permission to construct 13 four and five-bedroom homes on land at Brook Road, adjacent to the PDSA pet hospital and Birmingham Road in Oldbury.
Work began on the homes at the start of the year, but it was discovered that the three-year planning permission had lapsed, forcing applicant Rajinder Singh to re-submit the plans to Sandwell Council. The land was sold by the council in 2016, having been deemed surplus to requirements in an audit three years earlier, and was acquired as a potential housing site.
However, four years later, a previous bid to build homes was rejected by Sandwell Council's planning committee on grounds of inadequate parking, over-development, flood risk, and loss of open space. The council's planning officers had supported the 2018 application, which took 18 months to decide, stating there were no grounds for refusal, but councillors overruled that advice and rejected the plans.
Another application was submitted in July 2020 and eventually approved by the planning committee in December 2022. The plans criticized the earlier refusal, describing the grounds as "largely misinformed and contrary to expert consultation." A statement included with the application said: "The grounds for rejection seem arbitrary in nature and thus highly concerning. Should this application be rejected again without sufficient proof, it will leave the applicant with no option but to go for appeal."
The council stated in 2023, when the re-submitted plans were approved: "The open space was audited in 2013 and found to be of low value to the public for recreational use and that adequate open space is provided within the Oldbury area. This led to the land being disposed of by the council. The proposal provides good quality housing development which will assist in meeting Sandwell's five-year housing land supply and is acceptable in design terms."
The new application now awaits a decision from Sandwell Council's planning committee.
