Mayor hits out at red tape at Wednesbury housing site
The elected mayor for the West Midlands has called for the Government to step in and cut through red tape which is stifling house-building in the Black Country.
Richard Parker highlighted the a proposed Friar Park urban village in Wednesbury, where development has been stalled by delays in granting permits from the Environment Agency.
He has been backed by Antonia Bance, MP for Tipton and Wednesbury.
The former Severn Trent treatment site was bought by the West Midlands Combined Authority in 2019, and has been earmarked for 630 new homes.
But progress has been delayed by strict Environment Agency regulations Mr Parker says ‘fail to accommodate practical solutions’ for land remediation.
Miss Bance said she had written to the minister responsible to ask for help in unblocking the development.
The problem stems from the Environment Agency’s requirement that waste material on the site must meet specific conditions before being reused - conditions that, in this case, cannot be met.
However, Mr Parker said he had 'fruitful' conversations with the Environment Agency which had resulted in an agreement with the regulator, meaning a developer could be appointed by the summer.
He said it was just one example of many from across the region and the country/
"I’ve recently met with the Environment Agency, who have agreed to move quickly towards a resolution to unlock the development," he added.
"Previous conversations have failed to accommodate practical solutions. We can’t be spending so much time unblocking unnecessary barriers.
“We have thousands of families in the West Midlands desperate for a home, and yet unnecessary bureaucracy is holding up a major housing development that could provide 630 homes for local people."
Miss Bance said there were thousands of people on council waiting lists, and far too many families were living in temporary accommodation, often in guest houses miles away.
"These homes will be for local people to rent or to buy, and we need them as soon as possible," she said.
"We need the Environment Agency to work with us to redevelop this disused land. I’ve written to the Minister responsible to help us sort out this delay.”
