Brandhall decision

SANDWELL Council’s Cabinet have approved plans to provide a brand-new primary school, around 190 new homes and a public park on the site of the former Brandhall Golf Course in Oldbury.

Councillors considered five different options and decided to provide a new primary school to replace the existing Causeway Green Primary School, where buildings are now ageing and no longer economical to maintain.

They also decided to develop a 26-hectare park as well as keeping the 1.47 hectares at the existing Parsons Hill Park. And they agreed to provide space for around 190 homes, of which a minimum of 25% would be ‘affordable homes’.

Councillor Peter Hughes, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Growth, said: “We are pleased to be providing a much-needed new primary school and housing, as well as creating a new public park – the first in Sandwell’s 48-year history. These will serve local people for generations to come.

“This is a significant investment in vital, state-of-the-art educational facilities that will help give children in the local area the best possible start in life.

“We have decided that creating space for around 190 new homes – significantly fewer than the 550 proposed as part of last year’s consultation – is the right balance for the site, having listened to all views and information. There is a desperate need for more housing in Sandwell, especially affordable housing, and we must fulfil our duties to make land available for this.

“Under this option, we will be investing in a large, brand-new, high-quality park, making up around 70% of the site. Currently, the site is not managed or maintained as a publicly accessible park, so we will now be able to make the green space at Brandhall much more accessible for all of the local community to use and enjoy.

“We have also approved the designation of the majority of the site as a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation, which will give greater protection to the ecology of this space. We commit to working closely with the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust to ensure any impact on wildlife is mitigated and the remainder of the site is improved to increase biodiversity as much as possible.

“We have taken the decision that we feel best meets the future needs of the local community, and Sandwell as a whole.”