Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath Neighbourhood Plan Update

The Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath Neighbourhood Plan was formally made on the 11th of April 2019 following a Referendum which endorsed the Plan by a 95.92% vote in support of it. This means it is now part of the statutory development plan and will now be used by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council to determine planning applications in the Neighbourhood Area, along with the Solihull Local Plan 2013. The Neighbourhood Plan provides a range of policies that will guide how new development will be delivered in the future by improving the layout and design of housing, mitigating the impacts of development, particularly on the countryside, the natural environment and on infrastructure, traffic flow, parking, health, education and community facilities. In addition it aims to maximise opportunities that new development offers to provide a wider mix of housing to meet the changing demographic of the area and to contribute towards improving community services and facilities.

Section 8 ‘Housing’, Policy H1 acknowledges that additional housing will be built in the Plan area and sites are likely to come through strategic allocations emerging through the Solihull Local Plan Review. Housing on sites allocated in the emerging and adopted development plan and on larger windfall sites (20 or more dwellings) are required to address a number of specified matters set out in the Neighbourhood Plan. Policy H2 and H3 deal with affordable housing and housing mix.

In terms of economic development, the Neighbourhood Plan seeks to protect existing local businesses whilst promoting appropriate new economic and employment opportunities in sustainable locations. Policy ECF3 seeks to protect local community facilities unless they are no longer needed.

For more details of the Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath Neighbourhood Plan click here.

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