THE CONTROVERSIAL planning application to build houses on land West of Hither Green Lane has been refused by Redditch Borough Council.
The application to build more than 200 houses on land on and around Abbey Park Golf Club was submitted to the council by David Wilson homes in January 2022.
At Redditch Borough Council’s Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday (March 20), members unanimously refused the application due to the borough already meeting the government mandated housing requirements.
There were also fears the site would sever the green corridor linking the north of Arrow Valley Country Park to the open countryside and cause congestion on the junction of Dagnell End Road and the A441 Birmingham Road.
During the meeting, members of the public and campaign group NoRCA clapped with joy as councillors expressed their concerns with the application.
Redditch MP Rachel Maclean also lent her support to campaigners, writing a letter to council officer Paul Lester, opposing the plan.
She said: “This application is not in line with government planning policy which I myself was partly an architect of in my previous role as Housing and Planning Minister.
“As many have stated, this site is not in the local plan nor are these houses needed to meet housing requirements.
“Our area is already delivering its housing targets for local residents, and projected future residents, alongside necessary infrastructure and is managing growth sensibly on the whole.
“The point of local plans is to allow local communities a say in where housing should go, thus commanding consent and agreement of those who already live here, as well as enabling those who would naturally like to move to our beautiful area the opportunity to do so.
“If every area stuck to their local plan targets, like Redditch Borough Council has been doing, there would be no need for speculative development in the green belt or green open space.”
