Planning

Birmingham Development Plan 2031 (adopted January 2017)

 

Langley was allocated for housing in the Birmingham Development Plan in January 2017.
The Birmingham Development Plan Policy GA5 states:

“The Langley Sustainable Urban Extension will be an exemplar of sustainable development and a destination of choice for families wishing to live in Birmingham. The development will achieve the highest standards of sustainability and design and provide a range of supporting facilities to help foster a strong sense of community.”

“The new neighbourhood will provide for a mix of housing sizes, types and tenures, including affordable housing in line with the requirements in Policy TP31 (35%). There will, however, be a primary focus on the provision of family housing.”

“A range of supporting facilities will be included as part of the development including early years provision, new primary schools, a new secondary school, health care facilities and local shops and services.”

“The development will benefit from a new junction with the A38 and new connections into the built-up area.”

Langley Supplementary Planning Document (April 2019)

The Langley Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) provides the design framework for how Langley could be developed and was adopted as a Birmingham City Council guidance in April 2019.

The SPD allows the Langley Sutton Coldfield Consortium, who will be responsible for delivering Langley, to develop proposals that will form the basis of the site-wide Outline Planning Application.

The Langley SPD can be viewed here: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/langleypeddimorespd

VIEW LANGLEY SPD

Outline Planning Application Submission (December 2021)

The Outline Planning Application was submitted to Birmingham City Council in December 2021. The application is for up to 5,500 dwellings and will include: affordable housing; a mixed-use district centre; two local community hubs; education provision (early years, up to three primary schools, one secondary school and sixth form); community facilities (including health facilities, extensive public open space, sports and play facilities); two new access points to the A38; new and amended principal access junctions along the western boundary of the site; highways improvement and mitigation; public transport provision; and a network of walking and cycling routes. The application number is 2021/10567/PA.

Summary information sheets, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions, are available to download from the resources tab.

Birmingham City Council Planning Committee resolved to grant permission for the Outline Planning Application on 22nd December 2022 subject to the signing of a S106 Agreement.

Strategic Infrastructure Planning Application (June 2023)

A Strategic Infrastructure Planning Application was submitted to Birmingham City Council in July 2023 (ref: 2023/04517/PA). This followed community and stakeholder engagement on the strategic infrastructure plans in 2022, which involved consultation with local residents and ongoing liaison with local stakeholders. Details of the public engagement event held in November 2022 are available here.

This application includes details of the proposed on-site strategic road, strategic open space and strategic drainage networks which will service, and provide the framework, for the areas of residential, education and mixed use built development. These areas include:

  • Three new community parks in the north, centre and south of the site;
  • Informal playing pitches, equipped play areas and recreational routes for walking, cycling and running with c.30% of the overall site ultimately provided as green infrastructure;
  • A network of new and existing roads, with walking and cycling routes separated from traffic along most primary and secondary streets to encourage active travel;
  • Roads designed to enable bus routes within the site and facilitate Bus Rapid Transit through the site;
  • The opening up of the Langley Brook Corridor to create a new linear park, providing a key north-south green link; and
  • Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) with opportunities for habitat creation and wider amenity.

MAY 2025

Following receipt of further comments from local and statutory consultees, further amended plans and documentation have been submitted to Birmingham City Council. The amendments include:

Western Boundary Walking/Cycling Route

The need for this route was prescribed by BCC Highways to encourage sustainable travel and deliver a visible, safe and usable route for both new and existing residents.

The existing verge on Springfield Road between Churchill Road and Reddicap Heath Road is too narrow to accommodate a walking and cycling route adjacent to the carriageway and as such a c400m section of hedgerow will need to be removed. In response to this, the Consortium has committed to replanting a native, species-rich mature ‘instant’ hedgerow which will be circa 1.8m high in the first year of planting (broadly equivalent to the height of the existing hedge), adjacent to the new walking and cycling route to replace the c.400m of hedgerow proposed to be removed.

This new hedgerow will incorporate new tree planting and can be allowed to grow to higher than 1.8m high. This will provide an enhancement to biodiversity when compared with the existing, single non-native species hedgerow and can immediately reinstate the visual screening function provided by the existing hedgerow in this location.

Illustrative Sections- Western Cycleway

Removal of the Primary Electricity Substation

The Consortium has responded to comments from residents who expressed concern over the location of the proposed electricity substation. The Consortium has revised its utilities strategy and the amended plans no longer include a primary electricity substation as part of the strategic infrastructure proposals.

Highways

Further amendments to secondary street design to include additional detail on certain aspects including cycle paths, raised tables, footpath widths and the latest layout for the western boundary footpath and cycleway.

Active Travel

Two-way cycle tracks have been proposed across the development in keeping with the layout of the wider BCC cycle network. The proposed 2-way cycleways are fully segregated, 3m wide (+ 0.5m buffer in areas over 30mph) with appropriate crossing facilities.

Formal Pitch Provision

An updated Sports Hub layout is provided which sets out a revised configuration of pitches (senior football, senior rugby, youth football and youth rugby) along with pavilion, car parking, allotment, tennis and MUGA facilities

Other Landscaping Considerations

The Consortium has taken on board the feedback made by BCC in relation to the provision of other community participation benefits within the green infrastructure network, which includes the incorporation of a pump track and additional community food growing space within the community park at the northern end of the Langley site.

Ecology

An updated Biodiversity Net Gain assessment has been undertaken to reflect the amendments made to the strategic landscaping plans. The updated BNG assessment demonstrates that the scheme still achieves an overall net gain.

Trees

An Arboriculture Technical Note – Fox Hollies Pedestrian Route and Foul Drainage Proposals is included as part of the submission, which demonstrates that the drainage scheme retains the existing trees. An updated Arboriculture Impact Assessment for the whole site is also being submitted. New trees being planted as part of the proposals more than compensate for any existing trees which will be lost.

Drainage

A further revised version of all the surface water and foul water drainage plans has been submitted. However, the overall drainage strategy remains as submitted previously.

Design Coding

A new single, site-wide Design Code will be submitted following the approval of the strategic infrastructure application. The reserved matters applications will need to be designed in accordance with the approved design coding.

Reserved Matters Applications (2025 Onwards)

It is the intention for reserved matters applications for the areas of built development to be submitted pursuant to the outline planning permission from the start of 2025 onwards.

  • Each House Builder undertakes public engagement on its plans.
  • House Builders submit Reserved Matters Application(s) following feedback from Birmingham City Council, the public and other stakeholders;
  • Birmingham City Council formally consults on application(s);
  • Birmingham City Council approve applications;
  • House builder constructs housing and parcel level infrastructure as required by the approval.

This cycle is then repeated for the remainder of the site and for the schools and non residential development.

“We have worked closely with Birmingham City Council and stakeholders during the development of the plans and look forward to continued engagement with local stakeholders and residents as we progress the proposals.”