Call to scrap “barriers” blocking housebuilding in West Midlands

Members of the West Midlands Combined Authority Board discussed the issue of brownfield land and barriers which are holding up developers from progressing with housing schemes on them.

The region’s mayor Richard Parker said he was keen to “simplify the process” and get the housing needed built.

And City of Wolverhampton Council leader Stephen Simkins said he was “sick and tired” of rules such as the Government’s housing intervention rate, which set criteria for housing developments, holding them up.

West Midlands Combined Authority bosses said they were in talks with the Government about being given more flexibility.

Councillor Simkins said: “Intervention rates have been a barrier to the West Midlands.

“Most Brownfield sites are in the most deprived wards in the West Midlands. Shouldn’t we have, rather than an intervention rate, a deprivation factor that we can get on and do it?

“I’m sick and tired of us coming back to the same old question about the intervention rate. Devolve that power to us, let us get on with it and judge our performance.

“It’s the Government’s agenda to build houses and it’s the Government’s agenda to address deprivation. If we had a deprivation rate, you would see some of these brownfield sites would actually move.

“The intervention rate stifles private business actually getting on with the job and developing. We shouldn’t have that.

“We want them to build those houses, they want to make their profits – fair enough – and I want to get people off the sofa where they’re surfing. I want to stop children having hotel breakfasts before they go to school.”

Mr Parker said: “Brownfield land blights a lot of sites across this region and our economic potential so bringing it into production and commercial use or housing is fabric to the economic recovery we need to deliver here.

“Everything I’ve focused on since I got elected is around removing the barriers to delivery and my approach is to be fearless and not reckless.

“I’m really keen we simplify every process that gets in the way or fails to allow us to deliver as quickly as possible.”

West Midlands Combined Authority chief executive Laura Shoaf said: “We are in final negotiations of what has been an over six month long process with central Government who do set the intervention rates centrally, perhaps without a full understanding of some of the unique challenges around the land in this region.

“And what we need in order to try to deal with land values and in some cases priming of sites and investing early when we need to test a market.

“We have been collectively working hard to get those flexibilities and while it is not over the line yet, we are really optimistic those are forthcoming.”