Scheme approved despite wrangle
PLANS for a huge employment park have been approved despite a £32 million wrangle over road improvement works with developers of a neighbouring housing scheme.
The Peddimore proposal will transform around 160 acres of green belt land between the A38 and Wiggins Hill Road in Minworth, Sutton Coldfield, into a ‘world class’ estate for manufacturing and logistics creating around 10,000 jobs.
Birmingham City Council’s planning committee approved an outline application despite concerns around the design of the buildings and impact on the surrounding road network.
Developers IM Properties will spend around £11 million providing a new roundabout on the A38, a new traffic-free bridge crossing the same route, a new bus gate and a cycle route to Chester Road Railway Station. Meanwhile, the neighbouring Langley Sutton Coldfield Consortium, set to build more than 5,000 homes on the opposite side of the A38, has been told to stump up as much as £32 million towards highways and public transport improvements, a figure they are yet to approve.
Michael Davies, of Savills, representing the consortium, said there had been a “coordinated discussion” between its technical team and representatives from the council and IM Properties, but they were not satisfied with the level of detail provided.
He added: “The consortium’s position is that they will meet their obligations but it would have been nice to at least understand the detail behind the Peddimore scheme.
“Therefore until we have that detailed discussion, the consortium’s position is that they cannot agree to the £32 million until they have had opportunity to review it in full detail.”
In response, David Smith, planning director at IM Properties, said: “It is clearly right that the actual Langley contribution will need to be tested in detail as the scheme comes forward.
“The approach that has been adopted is reasonable, proportionate and the only way to proceed if Peddimore is to be delivered with the urgency that is required.”
There has been huge controversy around the council’s previous decision to allocate the green belt land for the Langley and Peddimore schemes.
But with many locals now longresigned to losing the plots, this particular Peddimore application only attracted 21 letters of objection.