HS2 hub could see 5,000 new homes for borough
UP to 1,000 more homes could be added to a massive housing development near Solihull’s proposed HS2 Interchange Station.
It was previously announced that up to 4,000 homes could be built as part of an ambitious scheme centred on the so-called ‘Hub’.
But a report for councillors next week reveals that further work suggests there is potential for as many as 5,000 properties.
Cllr Ian Courts, the cabinet member for growth, will be briefed on the proposals to create a “garden community” and the council’s hopes of securing support from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Solihull Council believes the homes would make a “significant contribution” to the borough’s housing needs and reduce pressure to release further green belt land, although officers have acknowledged there are challenges.
“The application for the garden community focuses on two parts of The Hub at the NEC and the HS2 Interchange site,” said the council report. “The M42 runs through the centre of these two parts and major trunk routes surround the rest. It is a challenging area to accommodate new residential development, yet this is crucial for the vision to be realised.”
Should a bid to the government be successful, Solihull Council would receive tailored support in the design and delivery of the scheme and potentially grant funding.
At this stage it has been suggested that the initial demand might be in the region of £1.8 million.
Plans to support the creation of garden towns and villages around the UK were outlined by the Housing Minister, James Brokenshire, in August this year.
Councils and developers which have secured local authority backing have been encouraged to apply for a place on the programme, part of a wider push to build 300,000 homes a year by the middle of next decade.
The government’s official prospectus said: “It has been more than a century since Ebenezer Howard first outlined his idea of the garden city.
“He had a vision of places where people could work, raise families, travel easily and enjoy green spaces.
“While the bleak industrial backdrop of Howard’s Britain is a thing of the past, the need for great places to live is as strong as ever.
“Everyone deserves a decent, affordable and secure place to call home. Yet this most basic of needs can often be a struggle to achieve.
“Today’s average house price is eight times the average income. Young people are half as likely as their parents to own their own home: a whole generation has been held back through no fault of its own.”
Winning bids would announced in the New Year. be