We have to build 1,600 homes in town centre, says council leader

Plans to build hundreds of homes in a town have been defended by a council leader amid concerns from some residents it could become a "ghost town".

Speaking on BBC Radio WM's Hot Seat segment, Solihull Council leader Karen Grinsell said the scheme, which will see 1,600 homes built in the former Mell Square, alongside shops and restaurants, would combine town centre living with commercial needs.

"If we don't put housing in town centres, where they are easily accessible, we are going to have to end up building housing on our green spaces," she said.

"We don't want to do that, so to be able to put more housing in the town centre is part of the solution."

You can hear the full interview here.

Plans were originally submitted for the scheme last year and approved by the council in February.

The development, called Holbeche Place, would strengthen the town centre's position as "one of the UK's most resilient and high-performing town centres", a spokesperson for the authority said.

However, along with the "ghost town" worries, some residents have described the designs to BBC Radio WM as "bland, with limited parking".

In response, Grinsell said: "Retail has changed, you're seeing companies wanting smaller units.

"So you can have retail on the bottom."

She added that there were plans for the housing to be placed in the buildings above.

When asked about car parking, Grinsell added: "When you do town centre living, you have to imagine that Solihull is well connected, easy access routes in and out of, with the bus services and the train station.

"You have active travel options, you don't need as much parking, but when you talk about the reduction, actually there's only 546 parking spaces reduced."

Holbeche Place is a major long-term regeneration project planned for the centre of Solihull.

Proposals include new homes, retail space, food and drink venues and public areas, designed to keep the town centre busy throughout the day and evening.

The scheme is set to include more than 1,600 homes, according to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), and will be delivered by developers Muse in partnership with Solihull Council.

The WMCA said the first phases of the scheme would include 346 build-to-rent homes, followed by 228 affordable homes.

The neighbourhood would be built in phases over the next 10 years.

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