Burntwood Action Group

Following the very large number of responses to the public consultation on Lichfield District Council’s revised draft Core Strategy the Council is considering commissioning further work on the projected population growth in the District. The outcome of this research may provide evidence for a change in the number of new dwellings required from the 8000 currently proposed.

This may be a step forward as many responses suggested that 8000 new homes was far greater than will be required and could dramatically change the nature of the area. We have sympathy with this view but accept that up to 1000 new homes, over the next 15 years, for Burntwood and Hammerwich, as proposed in the draft proposals, could be justified if sited on previously developed land and not encroaching on green belt.

We asked residents, and received their overwhelming backing, to respond to the consultation on the revised draft proposals by supporting those aspects which proposed development within the Burntwood area on brownfield sites. We were keen to see an early adoption of the revised Core Strategy as one of our major fears was that, whilst the District has no housing development strategy in place, there was a high probability that developers would try to push through plans, by appeal against Council rejection if ncessary, for development on sites outside those proposed in the revised Draft Core Strategy.

It now appears that the fear is well founded:

We have been informed that Miller Homes Ltd are undertaking a public consultation exercise regarding proposals for a development of 850 homes on a 26 hectare site in Streethay with associated community facilities, shops, primary school, leisure centre and public open space. The site had been identified as one with potential for development but was not chosen for inclusion in the draft Core Strategy. The Company has indicated that they will be making a planning application shortly. Should the Council decide to refuse the application on the grounds that it is premature the developer may seek to secure permission by way of a planning appeal in advance of the Council finalising the housing numbers required and the preferred locations.

This situation reinforces our view that there is an urgent need for an up-to-date approved Core Strategy to be in place to ensure that site selection is part of the formal planning process and not decided ad hoc on appeal. We appeal to Council members and officials to conduct a speedy review of the projected number of new homes required and move with all haste towards adoption of a Core Strategy which is acceptable to the majority of the District’s residents.