Birmingham’s 15-year vision to provide thousands of new homes – the Birmingham Development Plan – can be formally adopted and approved by Birmingham City Council, the government has confirmed.
Housing minister Gavin Barwell lifted a holding direction which prevented the BDP from progressing pending further investigation into proposals to earmark land in the Sutton Coldfield green belt for housing and employment purposes.
Barwell said he agreed the scale of un-met housing demand in Birmingham was “exceptional and possibly unique”. The housing minister said he saw no reason to disagree with the conclusions an inspector appointed to consider the plan reached that the BDP was consistent with National Planning Policy and should be adopted.
The BDP sets out proposals to address the city’s housing crisis by building 51,000 homes in Birmingham, including up to 6,000 at Langley in Sutton Coldfield.
The green belt land was identified following a city-wide search to identify possible brownfield development sites.
All brownfield land in Birmingham with potential for housing development was considered through the city council’s Strategic housing land availability assessment to see whether sites were suitable for housing, how much they could accommodate, and when development was likely to take place.
Research by the council concluded that 89,000 new homes are required over the next 15 years to address an acute housing shortage and meet the needs of Birmingham’s growing population.
Waheed Nazir, strategic director of economy at Birmingham City Council, said: “Removing the holding direction is an important decision both for the city and the wider UK in terms of our ability to deliver housing growth. We therefore welcome the secretary of state’s endorsement of the plan and recognition we have taken a robust approach that is consistent with national policy”.
The BDP is expected to be formally adopted by Birmingham City Council early next year.
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