150 homes rejected on green belt land
Planners have rejected Wain Estates’ plans to construct 150 homes on green belt land in the West Midlands.
The proposed development, situated off Wilderness Lane in Great Barr, was deemed “inappropriate” and “harmful” by Sandwell Council.
The council refused the destruction of trees, hedges, and plants in one of the area’s significant green spaces.
The proposed new houses would have occupied approximately 15% of the 67-acre site, with the remaining space mostly preserved for the creation of a countryside park.
The developer argued that the plan aimed to address a “chronic shortage” of homes in Sandwell.
The local authority had indicated a land shortage for housing, projecting only enough supply to meet demand for the next 18 months, falling significantly short of the required five-year provision.
The Black Country Plan, outlining the construction of up to 76,000 homes across Sandwell, Dudley, and Walsall by 2039, has been abandoned.
Sandwell Council is now developing its own plan, expected to incorporate aspects of the previously discarded proposal.
Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, said: “Pleased to see that Sandwell Council have refused planning permission for 150 homes on green-belt land on Wilderness Lane. Our Brownfield-First approach is generating scores of derelict sites for homes, so there’s no need to destroy the Black Country’s precious greenbelt.”
