Support
Solihull Local Plan (Draft Submission) 2020
Representation ID: 14784
Received: 10/12/2020
Respondent: Barwood Development Securities Ltd
Agent: stantec
Support the general thrust of Policy P15. However, the numerous design principles set out are too prescriptive and risk local distinctiveness being overlooked in favour of achieving generic design objectives which may not be appropriate to local context.
Design principles should reflect only what is necessary to ensure the creation of high quality spaces within individual development sites and their local context, as opposed to generic principles which may not necessarily lead to the development of well-designed places.
In criterion 9 it is important to state that any infrastructure or planning obligation requirements to ensure the comprehensive delivery of sites should meet the statutory tests in Regulation 122(2) of the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Propose that Policy P15 is reworded so that it sets out the Council’s design “aspirations”, as opposed to “expectations”. This would allow for proposals submitted as part of planning applications to be appropriately assessed on their design, based on local context at the decision-making stage.
A reference to the need for compliance with the CIL Regulations should be added to criterion 9.
See attachment