Housing plan for land behind existing homes in Bloxwich street is set to fail again
A proposal to build new houses on land behind a row of existing homes in a Bloxwich street is set to fail for a third time.
Members of Walsall Council’s planning committee are being recommended to turn down developer Eric Russell’s plans for Lichfield Road when they meet on Thursday.
A previous plan to build five homes on the land was rejected in November 2021 and the revised four-property proposal went before planners earlier this year.
It was refused for a raft of reasons including concerns the development fell within the Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation Partnership and no mitigation had been offered to help protect the beauty spot.
Other reasons included concerns about the harm the ‘backland development’ would have on the area, highways issues, a failure to provide a segregated footpath, overlooking on neighbouring homes and a lack of space for bin lorries.
Planners also said the homes would not ‘integrate effectively’ with the nearby Walsall Academy and Millfields Nursery School.
But the proposal is back before the committee after it was called in by ward councillor Gary Flint who supports the proposal.
The grounds for this are he believes the homes will benefit the wider borough and they would not cause significant harm to neighbouring properties.
A report to committee said two objections had been received, once of which said the proposal hasn’t been changed from the previous one and therefore the same reasons for refusing should apply.
The objectors also raised concerns about highways safety and the new homes overlooking the two schools as well.
In the application, the developer said: “The proposal is compliant with the NPPF and the Development Plan and as such the site is in a sustainable location and should be supported.
“The design of the proposed dwelling is considered acceptable. The proposal would not unduly harm the amenities of neighbouring occupiers.
“The houses would be characteristic of others in the area and the layout is considered appropriate for its location.”
But the report said: “The totality of the harm which would be caused by the proposed development is considered to be highly significant and demonstrable and outweighs the benefits of the proposal in providing housing in the borough.
“Given that there are no material planning considerations in support of the proposals it is concluded that this application should be recommended for refusal.”
