Public to have say on where new homes built

A six-week consultation has been launched by the West Midlands Combined Authority

West Midlands residents are being offered the chance to help shape a blueprint setting out where thousands of new homes and workplaces should be built in the region over the coming decades.

A six-week consultation has been launched by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) for people to give their views on the West Midlands Spatial Development Strategy (SDS), which will focus new development on locations that can best drive economic growth.

To help guide the SDS, a series of drop-in sessions are being held for people to learn more about the strategy and give their feedback.

The public can also give their views through the WMCA website.

The strategy, which will support Mayor Richard Parker's new Growth Plan, is expected to take up to three years to finalise, but will guide the region's future developments for the next 20-30 years.

Feedback from the consultation will influence a first draft of the strategy, which will also be shaped by extensive research and input from key organisations across the region.

The draft will be produced by the WMCA and local councils before going back out to public consultation, most likely in 2027.

The drop-in sessions will be held at:

• Wolverhampton - Urban Room, just off Queens Square, Wednesday 5 November, 10:00 - 19:00 GMT

• Solihull – Touchwood Shopping Centre (opposite Next), Friday 7 November, 09:30 - 18:30 GMT

• Dudley - Churchill Shopping Centre (next to Iceland), Saturday 9 November, 10:00 -16:00 GMT

• Birmingham - High Street (opposite Primark), Friday 21 November, 10:00 - 16:00 GMT

• Sandwell - New Square Shopping Centre, Saturday 22 November, 10:00 -16:00 GMT

• Walsall - Walsall Market, Bridge Street, Saturday 29 November 08:30 - 16:30 GMT

• Coventry - Coventry Market, Queen Victoria Road, Saturday 6 December, 08:30 - 17:30 GMT

The Mayor said: "This strategy will shape the West Midlands – both socially and economically – for decades to come.

"I encourage everyone to have their say and help us build the future of their own neighbourhoods and wider region."

The public consultation is in response to a government proposal requiring all major regions to produce a Spatial Development Strategy for their part of the country, with the government wanting to deliver 1.5m new homes before the next general election.

The WMCA said the West Midlands strategy would adopt a brownfield first approach to maximise the use of derelict industrial land, and provide a consistent approach to the release of any greenfield or Green Belt land.

According to the combined authority, the strategy will support councils who are struggling to find enough land to meet government housing targets.

They also said new growth must be supported by the guarantee of required transport, energy, green and social infrastructure.