Comment

Representation ID: 17427

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)

The Black Country Consortium Ltd welcomes the opportunity for the refresh of the local plan and review of progress made under the Joint Core Strategy whilst ensuring the needs of the sub region are both identified and met in the forthcoming period to the 2039 vision.

We are supportive of the proposed plan as an evidence based led local plan for the sub region and the all-encompassing range of areas of focused covered and welcome the brownfield first approach, which fits with our policy aims for the region.

In regards to housing; the Black Country Consortium has a brownfield first priority approach in order to maximise potential of unlocking capacity through existing brownfield sites whilst contributing to and acting as a catalyst to wider regeneration and economic prosperity and protecting the natural provision of both environmental significance and asset to community health and wellbeing.

The housing issue specifically within town centres could also be explored further – the task of re-balancing the town / city centres with the removal of retail classification on properties to allow for greater housing provision.