New Hagley homes to get the go-ahead

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CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 175 homes in Hagley are set to be given the green light

An officers' report has recommended the application be approved ahead of a district council planning committee meeting on Monday (December 3) where council members will make a formal decision.

Cala Homes submitted an application in July to develop land at Kidderminster Road into housing and office space.

The plans include 53 two to three-bedroomed 53 homes, 94 homes with four to five bedrooms, 19 apartments and nine bungalows. 71 one of the homes will be affordable.

The 58-page council report concludes the site is a 'suitable' area for development and it will integrate 'well' with surroundings.

Residents have campaigned vigorously against the plan, collecting a petition with more than 3,000 names on and taking to the streets to protest.

Both Hagley and Clent parish councils have formerly declared an objection, as have ward councillors Steven Colella and Chris Scurrell

Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid has also expressed his wish for the application to be refused by the council.

The major concerns are centred on anticipated extra pressure on nearby roads, particularly the Kidderminster Road, as well as the added burden on local schools and doctor surgeries.

The planning report details 44 conditions to be met by the developers ,including the submission of a more detailed plan regarding landscaping, layout, and scale - reserved matters - within the next 12 months.

Cala homes has also vowed to invest £750,000 in local education to meet planning obligations which also include providing £10,000 for a new bus shelter on Park Lane and £15,000 for new bike shelters and corresponding signs at Hagley Railway station.

The developer has also pledged to spend £1million on enhancing roadworks and junctions in the immediate area.

Recently, the Hagley Residents Action Group (HRAG) raised fresh concerns about the impact of the development on the level of pollution, stating Hagley was already an 'Air Quality Management Area'.

Coun Colella said: "The applicant’s statement that the increase in traffic will not affect the air quality is nonsense."

"The proposed traffic control measures will undoubtedly increase traffic congestion, which in turn means that stationary queueing traffic pumps more pollutants into the air.

"An air quality management action plan should have been implemented over a year ago."

A Cala spokesman said the firm had carried out an air quality report which had been reviewed by council officers.

"The report concludes there will be no detrimental effect on air quality levels.

"Indeed, without the development and the highway improvements proposed, the air quality situation is expected to worsen," he added.

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