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Village homes surprise

Posted on December 06 2011 at 9:17:17 1 comments

Major planning decisions affecting Alvechurch have left parish councillors scratching their heads.

On the one hand, they welcomed the decision, as reported in the last issue of The Village, to reject plans for ten homes on the 1.06 hectare ADR between Birmingham Road and Old Rectory Lane as being too few and failing to include any affordable homes.

But they are surprised that the planning committee has agreed 27 homes can fit on the smaller 0.7 hectare site by the canal dead arm and M42 on the other side of Birmingham Road.

The parish has written to head of planning Ruth Bamford to ask why such a large number of houses are to be crammed on to such a small site “with the resulting issues around design quality, motorway noise mitigation and children’s play space”.

It is pleased to see 40 per cent of the properties are to be “affordable”, but remain “very surprised the property type is so skewed to three and four bedroom homes”. The plan includes 21 of these and only four two-bed homes.

“This is so surprising given the very strong exhortation [in the Bromsgrove Draft Core Strategy] to build many more two-bed properties,” the council says.

The dead arm development, recognising a lack of play space for children, also offers £67,000 for improvements to the MUGA and The Meadows – and the parish urges Bromsgrove to consider its plans for improved sports facilities when this money is allocated.

What Villagers have been saying about this story . . . most recent comments first

Comment posted by Adrian Smith
from Hopwood on January 17 2012 at 1:09:26

Perhaps this now allows the District Council to pass any plan that comes along for site at the corner of Rectory Lane on the other side of the Birmingham Road.As the suggestions in the proposed Core Strategy were for a combined total of 42 houses to be apportioned across the 2 sites.
This remaining site is the only land we have available in Alvechurch that is set out in the District plan that has to meet our needs until 2021.So its essential its not wasted by under density development, and follows the initial recommendations of being suitable for a minimum of 32 houses of a good mix!Which should be for available for proven need from Alvechurch people and not executive houses for incomers from City dwellers.There is a need for affordable homes,but not just any old home that will give the District Council the opportunity of getting their hands on “THE NEW HOMES BONUS” AND 106 MONEY!!

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