Residents living close to North Worcestershire Golf Course will know that in August 2017 a renewed application by Bloor Homes to build 950 homes on the site of the old golf course was rejected by Birmingham City Council. Bloor Homes then lodged an appeal with the government in an attempt to overturn this decision.
The Government’s Planning Inspector will now conduct a public inquiry into Bloor Homes’ appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against Birmingham City Council’s rejection of their planning application. The public inquiry will commence on the 2nd October 2018 and it is expected that the inquiry will last for approximately 10 days. I am told that the comments of residents who have already written to Birmingham City Council’s Planning Committee and the Planning Inspectorate about this planning application will have been passed to the Planning Inspector for consideration as part of the inquiry.
Any interested persons may also attend the public Inquiry and, at the Inspector’s discretion, give their views, or send someone else to attend on their behalf. I will upload more information about the process for the appeal and public inquiry once it is online.
Along with newly elected Councillor for Northfield, Olly Armstrong, I have been in regular touch with residents living in the area and it is clear to me that there is still considerable opposition to the current planning application. Earlier this year I wrote to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate to outline my concerns and the concerns of many local residents about Bloors’ Homes application. I also set out my belief that Birmingham City Council’s Planning Committee made the correct decision in refusing this planning application as the proposed development does not constitute sustainable development.
A number of residents have approached me to inquire who is responsible for maintaining the North Worcestershire Golf Course site and for site security. Even though it closed for Golf some time ago, the North Worcestershire Golf Club remains in existence and is still the owner of the land with responsibility for site security. If residents would like to contact the Golf Club their e-mail address is secretary@nwgolfclub.com.
Concern about the increasing dilapidation of the former Golf Course is a reminder to all of us that, even if the Bloor appeal is rejected as I hope it will be, sooner or later decisions will still need to be taken about what should happen to the land. I therefore hope that if the Bloor appeal is not successful, the Golf Club will consult widely on possible alternatives for the future of the site, and that in the meantime, local residents will also be thinking about the kind of alternatives they would like the Golf Club to consider.
