Black Country Plan – Next Stages…

7th October 2021

by Jo Hanslip

Consultation on the Black Country Plan started on 16 August and runs to the 11 October, setting out proposals for the Draft Black Country Plan to 2039.

The Plan was prepared and approved for consultation by the four Black Country Authorities (Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, and City of Wolverhampton).

The Spatial strategy of the plan seeks to identify locations for residential and commercial growth, as well as the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro link.

Key issues affecting the plan include:

• The need to publish the Duty to Corporate Statement of Common Ground
• Black County and Birmingham are part of the and Greater Birmingham and Black Country Housing Market Area and both have unmet housing needs. The Black Country Plan identified housing for some 47,837 dwellings which compares to the Local Housing need identified of some 76,076 dwelling.  As such there is significant housing need which is not being met, in addition to the  38,000 dwellings of unmet need identified in the January2017 Birmingham Local Plan. As such there is a significant housing shortfall within the Housing market Area.  
• Some green belt releases are proposed (circa 7,700 dwellings) mainly in Neighbourhood growth areas and smaller sites on the edge of Town. Given the scale of unmet housing need, it is questionable as to whether the levels proposed are sufficient. Current levels are:
  • 1,117 dwellings on green belt sites in Dudley
  • 171 dwellings on green belt sites in Sandwell
  • 5,418 dwellings on green belt sites in Walsall; and
  • 1,013 dwellings on green belt sites in Wolverhampton

Turning to the details of the proposals, the Spatial Plan for the Dudley area is defined in Figure 15 of the Plan (shown below) and includes:

• 3,154 dwellings in the Brierley Hill Strategic Centre
• 1,712 dwellings in the Central Core Regeneration Area
• 1,145 dwellings in the North West Core Regeneration Area
• 886 dwellings in the Jewellery Line Core Regeneration Area
• 2,662 dwellings in the Dudley Towns and Neighbourhood Areas
• 860 dwellings in the Kingswinford Neighbourhood Growth Area
• 2,816 windfall sites

Details of all identified sites are provided in the Plan.

The Spatial Plan for the Sandwell area is defined in Figure 17 of the Plan (shown below) and includes:

• 401 dwellings in the Strategic Centre
• 2,032 dwellings in the Sandwell Central Core Regeneration Area
• 4,997 dwellings in the Other Sites in Towns and Neighbourhood Areas
• 1,728 dwellings in the Small Windfall Housing Sites

Details of all identified sites are provided in the Plan

The Spatial Plan for the Walsall area is defined in Figure 19 of the Plan (shown below) and includes:

• 5,418 dwellings in the Neighbourhood Growth Areas
• 2,126 dwellings in the Core Regeneration Area
• 1,168 dwellings in the Walsall Strategic Centre
• 3,177 dwellings in the Towns and Neighbourhood Areas
• 1,455 dwellings for Windfalls

Details of all identified sites are provided in the Plan.

The Spatial Plan for Wolverhampton City is defined in Figure 21 of the Plan (shown below) and includes:

• 4838 dwellings in Wolverhampton City Centre
• 395 dwellings in the Stafford Road Core Regeneration Area
• 627 dwellings in the Wednesfield Core Regeneration Area
• 2285 dwellings in the Bilston Core Regeneration Area
• 532 dwellings in the Bushbury Neighbourhood Growth Area
• 303 dwellings in the Fallings Park Neighbourhood Growth Area
• 1468 dwellings in the Other Sites in Wolverhampton Towns and Neighbourhoods Area
• 1652 dwellings in the Small Windfall Housing Sites (outside Wolverhampton City Centre)

Details of all identified sites are provided in the Plan.

Comments on the Plan can be made until 11 October 2021. It has been noted that the Plan does not current have regard to the latest NPPF changes an indicates that these will be picked up in future iterations of the plan.

The details can be viewed here https://blackcountryplan.dudley.gov.uk/t2/p5/

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