Part Two: Centres and Site Allocations (Regulation 18)

Comment

Representation ID: 519

Received: 21/12/2023

Respondent: Glen Dimplex Group

Agent: CBRE Limited

LAND AT COOPERS BANK ROAD

Land off Coopers Bank Road is referred to as site DLPE13 within table 8.1. However, the corresponding planning policy map identifies the site as DLPE12.

The site was previously subject to a draft allocation for residential development within the Draft Black Country Plan Review. Within the Draft Dudley Local Plan, subject of this consultation, the site has change from a draft residential allocation to a draft employment allocation.

Within the former Draft Black Country Plan housing allocation, both the northern and southern parcels of the Glen Dimplex site were allocated for residential dwellings. An indicative capacity of 180 units was identified for the draft allocation.

Comment

Representation ID: 525

Received: 21/12/2023

Respondent: Glen Dimplex Group

Agent: CBRE Limited

LANDOWNER ENGAGEMENT

The Black Country Employment Area Review (BEAR) was prepared in July 2021 or the Black Country Plan and identified in Appendix 3 that the site is "not available following occupier engagement". However, the Dudley Landowner Engagement Exercise Technical Report (2023) included a table of landowners who were not contacted as part of the exercise, stating that Glen Dimplex were not contacted due to "market intelligence in favour of retaining employment use". What is not clear, is what that market intelligence is specifically and why the landowner was contacted previously but not as part of this process. Our own market intelligence suggests that limited industrial occupier demand would be anticipated for the site in its current stand-alone configuration. This is in part due to the limited size of the plot, as well as the increasingly residential nature of the surrounding area.
Contrary to the unjustified evidence mentioned above, the landowner confirms that whilst their intention is currently to stay on the northern part of the site, the southern portion is surplus to requirements and their strategy is to release this land for residential development.

Comment

Representation ID: 526

Received: 21/12/2023

Respondent: Glen Dimplex Group

Agent: CBRE Limited

USE FOR RESIDENTIAL

The introduction of a residential use of the southern half of the site would make efficient use of brownfield land to deliver residential development to meet the housing requirement and would comprise an appropriate use the adjacent to the Green Belt, Local Nature Reserve, Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, Area of High Historic Landscape Value, and Archeological Priority Area. Additionally, it is apparent that this area is undergoing a period of transformation away from typical industrial uses to residential neighbourhoods (e.g. the former Ibstock brick works at Stallings Lane) further demonstrating the appropriateness of this site to come forward as a residential site. In addition, it is our view that the surrounding road network is more compatible with a residential use compared to an employment use.
The landowner has undertaken some due diligence into understanding the potential of the southern area for a residential use by undertaking specialist masterplanning, ecology, and highways works. The result of this work is that the site is capable of achieving a capacity of up to 77 dwellings with a density of 40 dwellings per hectare. Highways advice concluded that there are no obvious highways issues or accident history, and it is unlikely that there would be any junction capacity issues on if a residential use was to be introduced on the land off of Coopers Bank Road. The masterplan of the site can be seen in Appendix A.
The landowner is progressing with a pre-application and intends to submit in due course with subsequent engagement with the market.