We agree with the adoption of the Governments Standard Methodology for assessing the Borough's housing need and the use of the 2014 based household projections.

Where we disagree is the contribution that the Plan is currently seeking to make towards the wider Housing Market Area which is clearly insufficient. We note that this issue is not part of the current supplementary consultation but consider this is a missed opportunity and the Council should be more realistic in the contribution it needs to make. At present the plan is offering to provide for 2,000 additional homes towards addressing the HMA shortfall (approximately 5% of the market area deficit). This is simply not enough. There are very close links between Solihull and Birmingham given the Borough's proximity to the city and extensive shared boundary, established travel-to-work patterns and complementary nature of housing and employment provision. It is widely accepted that the edge of the conurbation offers the most obvious and sustainable option to meet Birmingham's shortfall. By only proposing to accommodate 2,000 homes, SMBC is falling way short of its responsibilities in addressing housing requirements across the HMA.