Brandhall Village

What is Brandhall Village?

Our aspiration is that Brandhall Village will provide a large public park with a range of amenities, space for a primary school, new homes including affordable homes, pedestrian and cycle links and new areas for wildlife.

Who is developing the masterplan?

Sandwell Council has appointed AECOM, a multidisciplinary consultancy to develop a masterplan in consultation with the local community and stakeholders. AECOM will then work with Sandwell Council to develop an outline planning application for the site.

By developing a masterplan for Brandhall Village, working closely with the local community, we can set a clear vision for the site and use the masterplan as a tool to ensure that as future development comes forward, it aligns with the agreed development principles.

What process did the council follow to select the Brandhall site for housing in the Draft Black Country Plan?

All sites that met the Sandwell Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) criteria were included in the draft Black Country Plan.

The National Planning Policy Framework defines the SHLAA as “a technical exercise to determine the quantity and suitability of land potentially available for housing development. It is not a site allocations exercise – the purpose is to provide a robust indication of aggregate housing capacity at local authority level.”

To be included in the SHLAA a site must be assessed against three criteria: suitability, deliverability and availability. The site had already been declared surplus by the council so met the availability test and as a previously undeveloped site with no significant unforeseen viability issues it is considered deliverable. To be considered suitable a site is assessed against relevant planning constraints and their ability to be mitigated against. But this a broad assessment, not the detailed assessment required as part of a planning application process.

In the current Local Plan which dates from 2012, the site is what is referred to as “white land” which is a term used to describe land with no specific allocation. Other than the very small area the site which is designated as a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation (or SLINC) and the specific open space allocation of Parsons Park, the only designation applied to the former golf course it that of a wildlife corridor. However, it is not a discrete wildlife corridor. Rather it is part of a larger corridor comprised of the entire length of the M5 motorway in Sandwell along with certain parcels of land adjacent to it.

In carrying out the broad assessment of a site for the purposes of a SHLAA, SLINCs and wildlife corridors are considered to have the potential to be mitigated and as such are not considered sufficient to deem the site unsuitable in broad terms. It is for the planning application process to consider if the such mitigation can actually be achieved.

The site was therefore included in the most recent iteration of the SHLAA having been assessed as described. As the SHLAA process considers the site to be suitable, deliverable and available, the site was included in the Draft Black Country Plan as a Housing allocation.

What process did the council follow to select the Brandhall site for housing development and a school before the site was identified for housing in the Draft Black Country Plan?

Cabinet agreed on 31 January 2018 to explore alternative options for the use of the site in accordance with the emerging local priorities of improvements to green space, education and housing provision.

The Cabinet report of 30 October 2019 then set out the process by which it was decided to identify the Brandhall site for a new park, a replacement school and new housing prior to the site being identified for housing in the Draft Black Country Plan.

The redevelopment of the site provides a unique opportunity to increase the amount of unrestricted open space in the Old Warley ward and to develop the first park in the authority’s history. Currently the former golf course is not categorised as unrestricted open space.

The existing Causeway Green Primary School is in poor physical condition. As a result, there is an identified need for a new school within this area. The school, which is a 420-place primary school, is identified as a priority for replacement due to ongoing condition issues associated with the original building construction and localised flooding.

In addition, Sandwell has a shortfall in housing land supply and the redevelopment of the site for housing would help contribute towards meeting some of the unmet housing need in Sandwell. There is the potential to provide a variety of house types and tenures to meet local needs, including providing 25% affordable housing in line with current policy.

At the meeting of 18 September 2019, the Sandwell Sport and Leisure Built Facilities Strategy Members Steering Group resolved that a recommendation be made to Cabinet to close Brandhall Golf Course and club house and that the consultation with local residents, in respect to options for the land, commence as soon as possible. On 30 October 2019 Cabinet recommended that public consultation be carried out on these three alternative options which includes a new park, replacement school and new housing.

Why are all the masterplan options variations on housing development and not suggesting alternatives?

The Cabinet meeting held in October 2019 recommended that a masterplan be prepared that included the development of a large park and a site for a replacement school for Causeway Green Primary due to the condition of the existing facility. It also recommended an area be identified for housing to meet the borough’s growing need to develop housing in line with government targets and the demand for additional housing in the area.

Why is this site not on the councils Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA)?

The site is included in the 2019/20 iteration of the SHLAA – Site reference 6999 on page 36 of the document. The document is available on the council’s website.

Why can’t the former golf course be turned into a park and managed by a trust, similar to Warley Woods?

We are aware of suggestions that the entire site should become an open space. Currently, the site is not fully accessible to the public, aside from two existing rights of way, and significant investment would be needed to transform the former golf course into a publicly accessible park.

The consultation process has highlighted the need for additional technical work to be undertaken. Council officers will produce an Options Report for the Cabinet to determine the future of the site. There will be additional options included in the report over and above the options that were initially consulted upon and these will also include new options such as a ‘Do Nothing’ option.

Who is the developer for the site?

At this stage, there are no developers on board.

However, we will test our masterplan with the market as it evolves to ensure that it is deliverable.

We are working to develop a masterplan which sets out our aspirational vision for Brandhall Village, which includes not only homes, but a large public park with a range of amenities, space for a primary school, pedestrian and cycle links and new areas for wildlife.

Should the development gain planning permission, the council would consider how best to deliver Brandhall Village.

What are the benefits of Brandhall Village to the local community?

Brandhall Village provides an opportunity to build much-needed homes, a brand-new public park, a school and local facilities. The park and facilities will be available to the existing community as well as residents of Brandhall Village.

How many new homes will be built at Brandhall Village?

As part of the masterplanning process, we're carefully considering the type and mix of homes that could be delivered at Brandhall Village. Once we know the type and mix of homes, and layout of the wider development, we will be able to estimate the number of homes that would be built.

What type of new homes would they be?

We envisage there could be a mix of tenures/ownerships on the site. Planning policy requires a minimum of 25% affordable housing. These could be affordable homes provided by registered providers of social housing, they could be council homes, or a mix of both.

Our aim is that Brandhall Village provides high quality housing that includes affordable homes, to meet the needs of current and future Sandwell residents.

To ensure the needs of local people are met, we are undertaking research on the local residential and wider development market in the early stages of our technical work.

How much and what percentage of the site do you envisage would be retained as green space after new homes and the school are built?

The five options for Cabinet to choose from at the Cabinet meeting on 20 July are:

• No change
• Developing a new public park (35 hectares plus 1.47 hectares retaining Parsons Hill Park)
• Providing land for a new primary school (2.68 hectares) and a new public park (32 hectares plus 1.47 hectares for Parsons Hill Park)
• Providing land for a new primary school (2.68 hectares), a new public park (26 hectares plus 1.47 hectares for Parsons Hill Park) and around 190 new homes (5 hectares)
• Providing land for a new primary school (2.68 hectares), a new public park (21.9 hectares plus 1.47 hectares for Parsons Hill Park) and around 360 new homes (9 hectares)

Has the plan for Brandhall Village been finalised?

No, the Cabinet is due to consider an options analysis report on Brandhall on 20 July 2022 taking into account the results of public consultation, the recommendations of the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust and the strategic need for a new school and housing.

The site has already been proposed for housing development in the draft Black Country Plan. What is the purpose of this consultation?

Although the site has been proposed for housing development in the draft Black Country Plan, there are still significant opportunities for the local community to influence the proposals. More information on the Black Country Plan can be found here.

Our vision for Brandhall Village incorporates not only new homes, but a large publicly accessible park, and space for a new primary school.

This consultation offers the local community an opportunity to influence key aspects of the masterplan including how the new Village will look, and the kinds of open space and any community facilities provided within it.