Inspectors from the Planning Inspectorate wrote on 4 September to Solihull Council, stating “we have reached the point where we have concluded that the Local Plan should be withdrawn”
So far, Solihull Council has spent £1.384M on the development of the Local Plan and putting it through the failed approval process.
An approved Local Plan would have given the Council control over planning applications.
Reservations were raised in 2020 about whether the Local Plan was ready before it was submitted to the Inspectors. However, the local Conservatives chose to push it through, despite several objections from residents and opposition councillors, including the Liberal Democrats.
Liberal Democrat Councillors voted against the Local Plan when it was brought before Full Council.
At the time, the Local Plan included a proposal to relocate the Bickenhill Waste Recycling Centre (WRC) to Damson Parkway. Relocation of the WRC was subsequently removed from the Local Plan as a result of objections from the L Liberal Democrats and local residents.
Cllr Ade Adeyemo challenged Cabinet Portfolio Holder Andy Mackiewicz for "being disingenuous" when he stated in September’s Cabinet meeting that 'we're probably neutral on the cost on this', implying that there would be no extra cost to the Council.
“The blame for failure of the Local Plan lies fairly and squarely at the feet of the Conservatives who run Solihull Council. The current situation now makes it very difficult for the Council to reject unsuitable or undesirable large-scale planning applications.
"It is also unclear at this stage how much extra it will cost for a revised Local Plan to be re-submitted. What is clear is that the extra cost will be substantial - a cost that Solihull Council can ill afford, bearing in mind the current budget deficit.
"The arrogance of the Conservatives who run Solihull Council has been staggering! They are now trying to pull the wool over our eyes by claiming that there would be no extra cost to the Council and its taxpayers.
"By refusing to heed warnings from opposition parties and residents' calls for better consultation, the Conservatives have wasted a lot of valuable taxpayers' money because they thought they knew better than the Planning Inspectorate and everyone else".
“The Conservatives’ arrogance and complacency will ultimately cost Solihull taxpayers dearly.
“Your Liberal Democrat Councillors will continue to hold the Conservatives' feet to the flame on this important issue”.
The Solihull and Meriden Liberal Democrats represent Liberal Democrat Members, Volunteers, Campaigners, Councillors and Candidates within the Local Authority area of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, and the two Parliamentary Constituencies of Solihull West and Shirley and Meriden and Solihull East.
Liberal Democrats in Solihull and Meriden have a long record of action for the community, fighting hard for local residents on issues that are important to them.
