Issue - meetings

To seek approval for the officer response submitted to the consultation on the Solihull Local Plan.

Members considered the Officer response (circulated as Additional Papers 2) submitted to the consultation on the Solihull Draft Local Plan.  The informal response had been submitted to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council on 17th February 2017 in order to meet the consultation deadline, and Member endorsement of the response was now being sought.

Officers explained that the purpose of the consultation on the Draft Local Plan was to seek views on the revised policies and proposed site allocations for housing and employment land, in addition to those in the existing Plan.  The Officer response to the consultation raised a number of concerns which it was felt still needed to be addressed through the Plan.  Notably, it was not clear exactly what the Objectively Assessed Housing Need for Solihull was.  It was also felt that the Plan did not adequately respond to the shortfall of 37,900 dwellings arising from Greater Birmingham Housing Market Area (GBHMA) as indicated in the Birmingham City Development Plan.  Solihull had not formally committed to accommodating 2000 dwellings in a particular location. Also, there was no clear rationale to help determine or indicate what the relevant level of additional housing that Solihull should be accommodating to address this shortfall would be.

RECOMMENDED that

1)          the Officer response to the Solihull Draft Local Plan, attached at Appendix A to the report, for submission as the formal Council response be approved; and  

RESOLVED that

2)          the report be noted.