The council had paused the Local Plan examination process, because it had not accepted the requirement of the Inspectorate to identify another 1700 units from Green Belt.
The Conservative government recently announced changes to planning guidance (NPPF), relaxing the need for the use of the Green Belt to meet housing need. Inspectors say the new national planning guidance does not apply to our draft Local Plan (!), so Solihull Council will be taking time to consider the implications of the new NPPF and all of its options, and how any additional flexibility it provides can be best used to support the long term interests of the borough in the most effective and
meaningful way, in particular the Green Belt.
The situation with the proposed South Warwickshire Local Plan around Hockley Heath remains a concern, in the light of the number of sites that developers have put forward and which would triple the size of the village. Hockley Heath currently has a single class entry primary school, no GP surgery (most people register with Dorridge or Lapworth Surgery) and limited transport solutions. These housing proposals are total inappropriate.
See also Council Leader Ian Courts statement to full Council on 6th February
