Redevelopment scheme reduced to 400 Walsall homes after opposition
A long-awaited multi-million pound scheme to build hundreds of homes could be down-sized amid concerns about building on green belt land, it emerged today.
Walsall Housing Group, in partnership with Walsall Council, put forward plans to build around 700 new homes in the Goscote area in Blakenall, but revised proposals have been drawn up following more than 800 objections.
Five sites were originally earmarked for redevelopment, with plans to change the now abandoned Goscote estate into recreational open space to compensate for building on green belt, known as The Lea.
But revised plans involve building 400 homes on three sites, avoiding green belt land.
There would be a mixture of houses and apartments and half of them would be affordable homes. A report submitted to the council which requests a fresh environmental impact assessment for the revised plans, says the 400 homes would be a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom properties and a large amount would be two-storey houses.
The sites earmarked for redevelopment are around Shakespeare Crescent, Keats Road and Well Lane.
Another planning application could also be submitted to build on the Goscote estate site, but the development concept in respect of that land is still 'under review', according to a report submitted to the council.
Carole Wildman, regeneration and development director at the housing group, said: "Walsall Housing Group has submitted an amended planning application for outline planning for the sites in the area known as the Goscote Lane Corridor.
"The application has been amended to omit the public open space known as the Lea. The application also omits the former Goscote estate site, this will be the subject of a separate planning application which will see the development of the whole of the site."
Regeneration chief, Councillor Adrian Andrew, said the number of homes had changed from the original planning application in response to a public consultation which stated that people did not want houses to be built on the current open space.
The controversial plans to build on green belt land were scrapped last year following objections. A petition with 722 signatures and 94 letters were collected in opposition.
