Object
Solihull Local Plan (Draft Submission) 2020
Representation ID: 14201
Received: 14/12/2020
Respondent: IM Properties - Employment Land
Agent: Turley
Legally compliant? Yes
Sound? No
Duty to co-operate? Yes
The plan is unclear about the role of the land at Damson Parkway in Policy UK2 which, at one level, is significant in terms of site area when measured against the HEDNA’s assessment of local need, but in policy terms is identified as capable of meeting the specific and unique needs of JLR and/or the airport. What proportion is expected to meet local needs or, whether as part of UKC Hub, it is in effect a strategic site requires clarification.
In either event, market evidence points to a need to identify a more robust supply of industrial and warehouse land as there are very unlikely to be any windfall sites and the only other option would be to consider removal from the Green Belt which should take a plan-led approach.
The HEDNA infers that UKC Hub employment growth scenario and related developments at UK1 and UK2 are intended to accommodate a combination of both local and strategic needs.
The amount of strategic warehousing accounted for as part of UKC is modest and does not take account of the acknowledged sub-regional shortage in the provision of strategic employment sites in this market area.
The 2015 West Midlands Strategic Employment Sites Study13 (WMSESS) highlighted an immediate need for additional sites across the region.
An updated second stage of the WMSESS is awaiting publication and it is anticipated that this will reaffirm the immediate shortage of strategic employment sites, with a specific focus on the M42 corridor including Solihull. The draft Plan does not adequately acknowledge or respond to this need for strategic sites and when the study is published and identifies such a need, it will be necessary for the Plan to engage with the issue positively.
See attached - employment Land Reps