Planning Policy Position

Lichfield District Council withdrew their Local Plan 2040 from examination in October 2023. Following this, they began work on a new local plan, known as the Local Plan 2043 which, according to their latest published position, is not due to be adopted until May 2027. On this basis, the existing adopted Local Plan has become increasingly out of date and does not reflect current national policy requirements or local housing needs. With no up-to-date development plan in place, the Council has limited ability to proactively shape growth in the District.

This situation is compounded by the fact that the Council cannot currently demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. The Council is currently only able to demonstrate 3.65 years of housing supply, which falls short of the Government’s requirement. In light of this shortfall, national planning policy gives added weight to approving sustainable developments, like this one, to help meet local housing needs.

Burntwood has been recognised as a sustainable location for new development by Lichfield District Council within their Local Plan 2008 – 2029 (2015) (adopted July 2016), being categorised as a Large Centre, a suitable location for housing and employment developments. This demonstrates that Burntwood is considered a sustainable location providing a wide range of facilities, employment opportunities, education provision, leisure and sports and public transport.

This residential application is being prepared on the basis that the land is considered ‘grey belt’ under the Government’s new national planning policy. This term refers to parts of the Green Belt that make only a limited contribution to its purposes, and where carefully planned development may be considered appropriate. Accordingly, the forthcoming planning application will assess the Site’s contribution to the Green Belt purposes and demonstrate that the proposal constitutes appropriate development in the Green Belt.