Planning minister Richard Caborn has given the go-ahead for a micro-electronics factory on a 56ha (137-acre) green belt site at Peddimore, Minworth, east of Birmingham.
But he turned down P&O Properties’ planning application for industrial development on its land at Walmley, Minworth, which is also in Birmingham’s green belt.
Caborn said there was an urgent need for high quality industrial investment in the West Midlands to help diversify the region’s economy, but there was no satisfactory alternative site outside the green belt for this type of use. However, he felt that if both developments went ahead they would place an unacceptable strain on the road system and take too much green belt land.
Gerard Coyne, of Birmingham Council’s economic development committee, said Birmingham had lost opportunities because of the lack of suitable large sites. Peddimore, he claimed, was capable of generating benefits in the same way that Nissan and Siemens had done for the North East.
Electronics giant Philips has been linked with the Peddimore site, but the firm has refused to comment on whether or not it is interested in the location.
EGi News 11/08/97
