The draft local plan for Solihull has revealed the specific green belt areas that could be used to build thousands of homes over the next two decades. The 200-page document, which outlines how the council could develop up to 2043, acts as a housing blueprint for the borough.
Solihull is under pressure to meet the government's target of building 8,500 new homes before 2029. The plan includes a policy to identify sufficient land for at least 13,096 net additional homes, ensuring enough supply to deliver 21,913 additional homes between 2026 and 2043.
Broad locations for 8,219 homes revealed
The "broad locations" where 8,219 of these homes would be built were disclosed prior to back-to-back meetings held on September 29. A map showing these locations was included in council documents. The locations, their labels, and home capacities are as follows:
- B1 – East of Meriden - 1,000 homes
- B2 – North of Hampton in Arden - 1,200 homes
- B3 – West of Balsall Common - 1,500 homes
- B4 – South of Knowle - 1,800 homes
- B5 – East of Solihull - 1,719 homes
- B6 – West of Dickens Heath - 1,000 homes
In a separate section, the plan lists 'residential allocations' for 4,877 homes. These are allocations carried forward from the council's previous 2020 local plan that have not yet received planning permission. The list includes:
- BC1 – Barratt's Farm, Balsall Common - 1,160
- BC3 – Windmill Lane/Kenilworth Road, Balsall Common - 132
- BC5 – Trevallion Stud, Balsall Common - 310
- BC6 – Lavender Hall Farm, Balsall Common - 92
- BL1 – West of Dickens Heath - 536
- BL2 – South of Dog Kennel Lane (west), Blythe - 700
- BL3 – Whitlock's End Farm, Blythe - 450
- HA1 – Meriden Road, Hampton in Arden - 100
- HH1 – School Road, Hockley Heath - 100
- KN1 – Hampton Road, Knowle - 193
- KN2 – South of Knowle - 225
- ME1 – West of Meriden - 10
- SO1 – East of Solihull - 770
- SO2 – Moat Lane Depot, Solihull - 99
Focus on railway station development
A recent change in national guidelines promotes development around well-connected railway stations. The draft plan states that an assessment on a station-by-station basis has been undertaken to identify the likely capacity from sites within 1,000m of railway stations, with this figure being 8,219 homes.
At the economic development, managed growth and skills scrutiny board meeting, officer Mark Andrews, the council's head of planning, design and engagement services, said the policy had formed a "key part" of their work preparing the plan.
Councillor Sally Tomlinson, chairperson of the board, asked: "Given this is relatively new building around stations, how are we going to ensure this is done in an organised fashion and gives us the opportunity to do the infrastructure around it?"
The officer replied that if national rules are changed, it would become a "default yes" for development around railway stations. He added: "We were very mindful if we didn't take seriously that as we developed the local plan, we could end up with a sort of double whammy of development proposals across the borough. We have got a real opportunity in taking this approach to drive local influence."
Green belt protections and next steps
Councillor Max McLoughlin, leader of the Green Party in Solihull, said he wanted to ensure the local plan made it "explicitly clear that whilst this is how Solihull Council aims to arrive at the number the government has set - this does not release that land from the green belt." He added: "The reason that is important is so the planning committee retains some powers and developers don't strong-arm the council."
Coun McLoughlin put forward this as a recommendation, which was agreed by the scrutiny committee and cabinet. The cabinet endorsed the plan and recommended the full council approve it at its next meeting, scheduled for October 6.
