The Forum has lodged a formal objection to the Birmingham Local Plan. This is because Birmingham’s plan makes no contribution whatsoever towards Solihull’s housing needs.
A spokesperson for the Forum’s planning team said, “It is usual for neighbouring authorities to help each other out when it comes to meeting housing needs across the conurbation. For example, the 2022 Solihull Local Plan (before it was withdrawn) would have contributed
2,000 homes towards wider housing needs. “The situation is now reversed. We estimate that Birmingham could house at least 20,000
homes from nearby boroughs such as Solihull. The City Council has chosen to do nothing. They are waiting to see what another plan – the Spatial Development Strategy for the West Midlands – has to say on the matter”.
“We can’t afford to wait. Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath has been inundated with speculative applications for more houses in the Green Belt. There are something like 2,000 houses in the pipeline. That’s about 20% of the total number of houses in KDBH. The
pressure on infrastructure and services will be intolerable.”
An examination of the Birmingham Local Plan before an independent Planning Inspector is expected next year.