Plans for new apartments on Halesowen land rejected

The scheme for eight homes in Nimmings Road, Halesowen was deemed to be overly intensive and ‘garden grabbing’ by council planners.

The site, which is part of the former Cakemore Farm, was previously occupied by one detached house which was derelict however the building had been demolished.

A report by Dudley planning officers on the latest proposal said: “The development has been redesigned through the progression of the previous applications to seek to secure residential development that would form a better fit within the established character and building form locally.

“However only small modifications have been made, alterations have not addressed the overdevelopment and excessive density of the development on this plot.”

Plans to build on the site were rejected in 2023 and 2024 however Dudley did approve demolition of the house on the land, also in 2024.

The latest plan was for eight one bedroom apartments with ten parking spaces in a rear courtyard area.

Planners found two of the units failed to comply with national space standards while the proposed amenity area also fell short of minimum garden size requirements.

The proposed parking arrangements were also unsatisfactory, courtyard parking has a potential to generate crime due to being remote from the dwellings and not allowing people a good view of their vehicles.

Officers concluded the site was only suitable for six courtyard spaces.

In rejecting the latest scheme, council planners concluded the substandard internal space and rear amenity areas would not provide good quality residential accommodation.

Carl Mellor, Dudley head of planning, added: “The proposed development would, by reason of its excessive scale, and cramped and contrived layout, create a form of development that would fail to be reflective of the surrounding densities and settlement pattern locally.”