Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, Member of Parliament for Solihull West & Shirley, has written to the Deputy Prime Minister to highlight the disproportionate impact that the Government’s proposed housing targets would have on Solihull Borough.
Under the current plans, Solihull faces an increase of 52.1% in its mandated housing target, while Birmingham, its immediate neighbour within the West Midlands, would see a 30.7% reduction. Dr Shastri-Hurst has stressed that this disparity raises serious concerns of fairness and sustainability, particularly in light of the Borough’s limited infrastructure and the rural character of villages such as Tidbury Green and Cheswick Green.
Commenting, Dr Shastri-Hurst said:
“We all recognise the national imperative to build homes for future generations. Yet the way in which we deliver this goal is every bit as important as the objective itself.
Villages such as Tidbury Green and Cheswick Green have already seen significant development in recent years. This has altered the balance of their communities, placed greater strain on local services, and begun to erode the green spaces which define their character.
New homes must be accompanied by the necessary infrastructure. Centrally imposed targets, insufficiently attuned to local circumstances, risk undermining the settled judgement of those who know their communities best.
I have therefore urged the Government to proceed with care, to recognise Solihull’s particular constraints, to safeguard our countryside, and to ensure that local democratic decision-making remains at the heart of planning policy.”
In his letter, Dr Shastri-Hurst calls upon the Government to reconsider the proposed uplift in Solihull’s housing target and instead adopt a more measured approach, one which balances development with infrastructure, respects environmental limits, and preserves the distinct character of the Borough’s towns and villages.
