Object

Representation ID: 4953

Received: 20/12/2022

Respondent: IM Land

Agent: RPS Group

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Lack of new allocations for Perton ignores the fact that Perton is virtually contiguous with Wolverhampton, with only a thin sliver of land separating these two built-up areas, and therefore acts as an effective suburb to the city. This makes Perton a highly accessible location to Wolverhampton, which offers potential of residents to access services and jobs in the city. Perton is ideally placed to make a contribution to meeting a proportion of this unmet need, as well accommodating need stemming from within the district.

RPS therefore does not accept the Council’s assertion (in paragraph 5.43) that exceptional circumstances does not justify identifying more land for housing development at Perton in this plan. the SSLP is applying an unduly restrictive strategy for Perton, which treats the settlement in isolation and ignores the wider context and location of the settlement and its relationship to the West Midlands, and ignores the opportunities to focus additional growth on suitable sites on the edge of the village, notably Land at Perton Golf course (ref. 705). The SSLP is therefore not positively prepared or justified and so is not soundly-based.

To make the plan sound would involve release of Land at Perton Gold Club (ref. 705) from the Green Belt and allocate it for housing in the SSLP. As an alternative, the Council should identify additional safeguarded land at Perton to replace the site that is now allocated for development in the SSLP.