FAQs

The site is identified as a proposed allocation for new homes and community facilities in South Staffordshire District Council’s recently published draft Local Plan Review.

A Local Plan is a document that sets out the vision for future development in a local authority area. Government requires that all local authorities have an up-to-date local plan in place and review it at least every five years.

South Staffordshire District Council has been undertaking a review of its Local Plan, carrying out extensive consultation in late 2022 (known as Regulation 19 consultation) and with further Regulation 19 consultation taking place following the publication of the draft new Local Plan in Spring 2024.

The site for the proposed new neighbourhood at Bilbrook Mill is proposed as a strategic development location in the draft South Staffordshire Local Plan Review as Policy SA1.

Local Plans are the key documents through which local planning authorities set out a vision and framework for the future development of the area, engaging with their communities in doing so. Local Plans address needs and opportunities in relation to housing, the local economy, community facilities and infrastructure. The Local Plan provides a degree of certainty for communities, businesses and investors, and a framework for guiding decisions on individual planning applications.

Local planning authorities, such as South Staffordshire District Council, have a statutory responsibility to maintain an up-to-date Local Plan, and national policy indicates that Local Plans should be regularly reviewed, with the expectation this is done at least every five years.

South Staffordshire District Council has been undertaking a review of its Local Plan, carrying out extensive consultation in late 2022 (known as Regulation 19 consultation) and with further Regulation 19 consultation taking place following the publication of Local Plan in Spring 2024. The draft new Local Plan will now be submitted to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate before being formally adopted in late 2025.

The site for the proposed new neighbourhood at Bilbrook Mill is proposed as a strategic development location in the draft South Staffordshire Local Plan Review as Policy SA1.

The site is identified as a strategic allocation in the draft Local Plan Review which has been subject to Regulation 19 Consultation following publication in the Spring of 2024.

It is not uncommon to start progressing planning applications for allocated sites once a Local Plan has been published and subject to Regulation 19 Consultation, which the South Staffordshire Local Plan Review has. The emerging planning application will ensure early housing delivery on sites allocated for that purpose early in the plan period. This will be critical in ensuring that the Council can maintain a robust housing supply position and protect unallocated sites from speculative developments that may seek to take advantage of a housing supply shortfall.

Our emerging proposals are informed by the vision set out in the site allocation in South Staffordshire District Council’s draft Local Plan. In live with this vision, we envisage the creation of a new neighbourhood, consisting of:

• Up to 750 high-quality homes in a range of styles and tenures.
• 40% of new homes would be affordable housing, providing opportunities for key workers and people on low incomes with local connections to secure a home of their own in Bilbrook.
• The provision of Specialist Older People’s accommodation (circa 75 units).
• Homes built to the very latest standards of sustainability, with measures such as EV charging infrastructure, solar panels, and high levels of energy efficiency.
• A new First School located centrally within the new neighbourhood.
• A mixed-use local centre or community hub, incorporating potential retail provision and community facilities.
• A network of active travel routes set within green corridors and landscaped public open space.
• The retention of existing landscape features alongside extensive landscape planting and habitat creation will enhance the biodiversity value of the site.
• The creation of extensive public open space, including new public parkland and a central community piazza.
• Significant investment into local infrastructure, including the expansion of healthcare provision and a programme of highways improvements and active travel infrastructure.
• Investment into improved provision at the sports facilities to the north of Pendeford Mill Lane.

We are proposing high-quality new homes that will be sustainably designed to achieve low carbon living. This will likely include a range of house types, from starter homes and adaptable homes for later living through to larger family homes. It is also proposed to provide Specialist Accommodation for Older People. An outline planning applications is currently being prepared which will set out broad principles of development. Details such as layout and precise type of new homes would be established in subsequent Reserved Matters planning applications, which will be subject to further consultation with the community.

40% of the new homes will be affordable homes, providing an opportunity for key workers and people on low incomes to secure a home in Bilbrook. We are happy to discuss with the Local Authority the potential to apply Local Occupancy Criteria to affordable homes to ensure that people with local connections are prioritised.

This is a matter for the Local Authority. We are happy to discuss with the Local Authority the potential to apply Local Occupancy Criteria to affordable homes to ensure that people with local connections are prioritised.

All homes will be built in accordance with the latest version of the Building Regulations or the Future Homes Standards in place when construction commences, which both set ambitious construction and energy efficiency standards.

You can find out more about the approach that Bloor takes towards sustainability here: www.bloorhomes.com/buying-guide/sustainability

The vast majority of existing landscape features such as hedgerows and trees will be retained, with removals being minimised to that required to allow for highway and drainage infrastructure. This, alongside the creation and management of new landscape planting, trees and SuDS features will provide new habitats and enhance the quality of the existing habitats - improving the biodiversity value of the site.

We are conscious of the ever-increasing importance of that ensuring development is sustainable, protecting and enhancing natural habitats and green infrastructure as much as possible whilst delivering much needed homes for people and families.

The proposals for Bilbrook Mill will see more than 40% of the total site area dedicated to providing extensive areas of green space, including parkland, landscaped public open space, habitat areas, community orchards, greenways, and play areas. The proposals will be informed by an ecological survey and will seek to demonstrate Biodiversity Net Gain in excess of 10%.

The planning application being prepared is an outline application which sets out broad principles of development. Details such as layout and precise type of new homes would be established in subsequent Reserved Matters planning applications, which will be subject to further consultation with the community. However, Bloor Homes has recently built a new neighbourhood on an adjacent site, Bilbrook Mill. This gives a good indication of some of the types of homes built by Bloor Homes.

In line with the requirements set out by South Staffordshire District Council and consultation with the Local Highways Authority, primary vehicular access to the new neighbourhood will be taken via new roundabout junctions on Pendeford Mill Lane, Barnhurst Lane and Lane Green Road.

There will be a primary vehicular link between Pendeford Mill, Barnhurst Lane and Lane Green Road. While this primary route through the neighbourhood is intended to distribute some traffic away from the village centre, it will be designed to limit vehicle speeds such that there is no advantage in using it as a through-route. Design details could include raised junctions and zebra crossings, carriageway narrowing features at discrete locations, and changes in surface and environment within the local centre area. The primary route will also be designed to accommodate a potential future bus route.

The planning application will be informed by extensive technical studies, including a robust Transport Assessment. This report will assess the highway safety and capacity of the surrounding highway network to ensure that the new neighbourhood can be safely accommodated, identifying any improvements necessary to achieve this.

A network of greenways, cycleways and footpaths through landscaped green corridors within the site will take pressure off local roads and contribute to residents’ health and wellbeing. These sustainable walking and cycling links will connect to the wider area via Bilbrook Mill and new connections at Lane Green Road and Wobaston Road near Barnhurst Lane.

Footway and cycleway upgrades beyond the site will result in improved sustainable connections with Bilbrook Station, i54 and Wolverhampton, helping to minimise use of the private car.

The development will generate funding for a package of local infrastructure investments. For example, we are conscious that the nearby Woodman Junction is a source of local concern, having been the top highways priority in the village’s Neighbourhood Plan survey. This is where Pendeford Mill Lane, Lane Green Road, Duck Lane and Bilbrook Road meet. We continue to work with Staffordshire County Council Highways on proposals that would see investment from our development provide improvements at this junction.

Our development will also generate investment into sustainable travel including improved bus services.

The highways improvements for the wider village to be delivered by the new neighbourhood are intended to reduce the need for car travel to local destinations and encourage active travel. Proposals include:

• Improvements to the Woodman junction with improved crossings and waiting restrictions on the approaches. This will create a better environment for pedestrians in the village centre. By raising the entire Woodman junction onto a platform, rather than just the zebra crossings as at present, vehicle speeds will be reduced and driver awareness of pedestrians increased. This will create a safer environment for pedestrians, encouraging more trips to be undertaken on foot, particularly to the railway station and the middle and high schools.
• Designation of Wesley Road as a Quiet Route for walking and cycling to the railway station, with new signage and road markings.
• A new 4m wide foot/cycleway along the southern side of Duck Lane, connecting the proposed Wesley Road Quiet Route with the station.
• A new raised table will be provided at the junction of Duck Lane and Brookfield Road to calm traffic speeds and create a safer environment for pedestrian and cycle crossings.
• A new foot/cycleway will be provided along Lane Green Road north of the site access to encourage trips to the village centre and schools to be made on foot or by cycle.
• Additional waiting restrictions (double yellow lines) will be introduced to reduce on-street parking in the Wesley Road junction area of Lane Green Road.
• Traffic calming/speed management measures will be delivered on Lane Green Road including engineering works at the narrow railway bridge to the south, to introduce a priority give-way arrangement reinforced with speed calming features.
• The proposed compact roundabout at the main Lane Green Road site access will also assist in reducing traffic speeds on Lane Green Road.
• A new shared-use (pedestrian and cycle) zebra crossing of Lane Green Road will be provided north of the site access.
• Improvements will be made to the footways alongside Joey’s Lane.
• A new traffic signal junction with pedestrian crossing phases will be introduced at the junction of Pendeford Mill Lane with Barnhurst Lane. This scheme will also provide additional traffic capacity to address queueing and delays.
• A new traffic signal junction with pedestrian crossing phases will be introduced at the junction of Wobaston Road with Lawn Lane.
• Improvements will be made to the cycleway along the north side of Wobaston Road to connect the development with the i54 Business Park and Wolverhampton’s strategic cycle network.
• Resurfacing of the footway along Barnhurst Lane between the proposed new access and The Droveway.
• We are also exploring potential improvements to the canal towpath between Wobaston Road and The Droveway to make it more attractive to walkers and cyclists.

Measures to prevent additional traffic impacts in Wesley Road and the surrounding streets have been identified and are being developed in discussion with the County Council. These are expected to include speed management measures and cycle facilities to encourage use of these residential routes for walking and cycling to the railway station and to discourage through traffic.

The proposed accesses onto Lane Green Road have been designed to accommodate future traffic demands including both the development and existing users of Lane Green Road. The package of highway works will include measures to prevent waiting in the vicinity of the access and the nearby junction with Wesley Road. Speed management measures are also proposed on Lane Green Road to the north of the access, together with a new footway/cycleway along the site frontage and new crossing facilities. The new roundabout access will help to calm traffic speeds, as will the new priority give-way system with traffic calming measures at the narrow railway bridge.

The development would generate significant financial contributions to support local infrastructure. This will be determined by the local authority in consultation with a range of bodies, including the County Council. The primary route through the development will be designed to allow for bus services, which would then be able to access the site at Pendeford Mill Lane, Lane Green Road and Barnhurst Lane.

The school would be located within a comfortable walking distance the whole development and the Travel Plan will consider how to encourage parents to get their children to school on foot. Walking routes to the school will also be considered in detail and additional crossing points will be provided if required to ensure parents feel the route is safe to walk.

Access feasibility studies showed that a second access from Pendeford Mill Lane would be required to serve the development and provide a suitable connection with Lane Green Road and Barnhurst Lane. The proposed roundabout would act as a gateway to the village and reduce vehicle speeds, enabling the current 30mph speed limit to be extended eastwards to Barnhurst Lane.

A roundabout to the required standards cannot be accommodated at the existing Barnhurst Lane junction due to constraints imposed by the adjacent canal bridge. A traffic signal junction is the preferred solution at this location to address current traffic capacity issues and provide crossing phases for pedestrians and cyclists.

The footway surface on the east side of Barnhurst Lane will be re-surfaced. Carriageway resurfacing along the site frontage could also be incorporated into the S278 Agreement for the access works if required by the County Council.

This junction is currently being considered in the Transport Assessment and the need for improvements will be explored, although opportunities are limited due to local property constraints.

The route will be designed to limit vehicle speeds such that there is no advantage in using it as a through-route. Details will be incorporated at the next stage of the planning process but could include raised junctions and zebra crossings, carriageway narrowing features at discrete locations, and changes in surface and environment within the local centre area.

The site currently comprises improved agricultural land which is of relatively low value in terms of biodiversity. The retention of the vast majority of existing landscape features such as hedgerows and trees, alongside the creation and management of new landscape planting, trees and SuDS features will provide new habitats and enhance the quality of the existing habitats - improving the biodiversity value of the site wherever possible.

The site is located within Flood Zone 1 of the Environment Agency Flood Map, and as such has no flood risk associated with it. Our surface water drainage strategy for the development has the potential to provide an improvement over the current situation for the surrounding area, as well delivering biodiversity enhancements through the creation of wetland habitats.

Any planning consents will include a condition for the agreement of a Construction Management Plan with the Local Authority to ensure that all construction is well managed and minimises its impact on the surrounding area.

We are at an early stage in the process and have not yet submitted an outline planning application. We hope to submit an outline application later in 2024. This is likely to be determined by South Staffordshire District Council in the Spring of 2025. If the outline application is approved, we will then prepare Reserved Matters planning applications setting out more detail of future phases of development, such as house types, landscaping proposals etc. This will be informed by further consultation with the community. Assuming the first Reserved Matters application is submitted later in 2025, it could be estimated that this would be determined by late 2025/early 2026, enabling work to potentially early in 2026. However, this is an estimate and precise timescales are very much dependent on the planning system.

In addition to the new First School and community spaces at the local centre within the proposed new neighbourhood, the development would generate significant financial contributions to be invested into local infrastructure and services such as healthcare, education, public transport etc. This will be determined by statutory consultation carried out by the Local Planning Authority with bodies such as the local NHS, the Local Education Authority, Local Highways Authority and others.

The development will also provide increased footfall for businesses in the village.

We created a consultation website to provide a means for local people to view the emerging plans and have their say at www.bloorhomesbilbrook.com. This included an overview of our emerging outline plans, as well as an easy-to-use interactive map and online questionnaire. This was complemented by a drop-in exhibition held at Bilbrook Village Hall on Tuesday 9 July 2024 from 2:30pm – 6:15pm.

Following pre-application community consultation, we  updated the website to provide information about the planning application and a continued means for people to get in touch. In addition, the local planning authority, South Staffordshire District Council is carrying out further consultation of their own on our submitted planning application.

You can view the planning application on South Staffordshire District Council’s planning portal here.