Developer argues Walsall green belt is grey as plans for 200 homes put forward
Outline plans have been submitted to build up to 200 homes on Walsall’s green belt.
Applicant St Philips hopes to develop a new housing estate off Chester Road in Streetly, next to Planters Pacific Garden Centre.
If approved, the works will include the demolition of existing structures, and the creation of a public open space.
Access will be gained from Chester Road, with a ghost island implemented for vehicles turning right onto the site.
The plans state that 40 per cent of the homes will be affordable, and there will be play areas as well as a community orchard.
While the site has been designated as green belt, it is one of several plots put forward by Walsall Council to prospective developers for housing.
Agent Savills has argued that the 8.74 hectare area, made up of agricultural fields, meets the criteria for grey belt.
In national planning policy grey belt is defined as green belt land either ‘compromising previously developed land’, land that ‘does not strongly contribute to check unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas, prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another, or to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns’, or where ‘policies would provide a strong reason for refusing or restricting development’.
