Draft Black Country Plan

Comment

Representation ID: 13595

Received: 09/09/2021

Respondent: Pacific Nurseries

A representation made on behalf on Pacific Nurseries Ltd, Chester Road, Aldridge, WS9 0PH to Strategic Allocation WSA.9
Black Country Plan
Introduction.
Pacific Nurseries (established in 1957) is a privately owned independent garden centre located on the Chester Road, Aldridge. It is bordered to the north by open agricultural land now referred to as WAH 246 and WAH 230 in the BCP. To the south it is bordered by WAH254.

Pacific Nurseries part own the site occupied by the garden centre and operate part of WAH254 on a leasehold agreement from Aston and Cain, joint owners of WAH254.
The site lies within the Green Belt boundary although it is “well developed” with a number of permanent buildings.
The site comprises a hard surfaced car parking for 120 cars leading to a steel portal frame garden centre shop together with associated café/restaurant within. Behind the retail building lie a number of polytunnels, storage containers and land used for growing plants and storage.
The outdoor plant sales area, storage yards and retail canopy structure are all positioned on the leasehold land (WAH 254).
Proposal – Strategic Allocation WSA.9
WSA.9 comprises three areas known as WAH 230, 246 and 254. Pacific Nurseries, a narrow strip of land of approximately 35m is sandwiched between 246 to the north and 254 to the south.
The Draft Black Country Plan has excluded the site of Pacific Nurseries from this Strategic Allocation and has left this as a rather strange narrow finger of Green Belt land.
If parcel WAH254 is zoned for development (the leased land) and the remainder of the Pacific Nurseries land was protected by green belt (as per the draft plan) then this situation would render the garden centre business potentially unviable leaving an unsightly feature.
Adjoining the site, to the immediate south of the access off Chester road, is an existing chalet bungalow which has recently received approval for planning for three houses and we note that this was in the green belt hence feel the request to have the nurseries removed from greenbelt is in line with your thinking and appropriate going forward.
Pacific Nurseries would be interested in further development (on their freehold land and the leased land) hence the request to incorporate the entirety as part of WSA.9 Strategic Allocation.
This land parcel would be promoted and delivered in tandem with our neighbours to the south whom they lease from and in turn are intrinsically linked to.