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ID sylw: 108890

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Warwickshire County Council

Minerals and Waste

No objections on mineral sterilisation grounds subject to the exclusion of the land to the west of the railway line and subject to
• Minerals Assessment Report (for assessing the possible impact on mineral resources and determining whether prior extraction is achievable),
• Materials Management Report (for assessing the sourcing and use of construction materials including the availability of on-site materials for reuse/recycling),
• Site Waste Management Plan (a plan for reusing/recycling waste on site and avoiding off-site disposal to landfill),
• Soil Management Plan (a plan to manage all soils on site during construction)

Active Travel

There is no existing cycling infrastructure that connects this area to the key local centres of Redditch and south Birmingham or Dorridge. There is an existing network of quiet lanes of roads available for cyclists to use within the rural area, but finding connecting low trafficked routes becomes more challenging in the proximity of existing urban areas where there is also a need to route across major roads including the A435 and M42. There is a good network of cycle routes within Redditch (approx. 5km) but limited current provision on the edge of the urban area including to the north east of the town which would provide the most direct connection to the development area. To the north, there is an existing network of cycle routes at Blythe Valley Park (approx. 3.5km) which connects into cycle an expanding network of routes feeding to Solihull, Shirley and Birmingham. The Grand Union Canal (approx. 3km) runs from Hockley Heath towards south Solihull and the towpath could provide an option for meeting demands for cycling, however it is likely to need upgrading to meet the demands of utility/commuting cyclists alongside other users.

Within the site it may be possible to repurpose existing low trafficked roads/lanes for active travel. However, new traffic free routes would be required outside of the development to connect to existing networks within the urban areas of Redditch, Birmingham and Dorridge. The Grand Union canal towpath would need to be upgraded to make it suitable for all year cycling should this be considered a potential alignment. A suitable connection and associated cycle parking facilities would also need to be provided to the most local railway station.

Key challenges relate to the length of connection required, a lack of space within the existing highway boundaries, the need to safely route across key transport corridors and deliver direct connections to existing urban cycling networks through built up areas all of which is likely to require significant amounts of third party land to be acquired. Our initial analysis therefore suggests this location will face significant deliverability and affordability challenges. Furthermore, whilst the Blythe Valley Business Park is within a reasonable cycling distance (less than 5km) the distances to a wider range of services and facilities are likely to be reaching the extreme of what people could reasonably be expected to regularly cycle.

Rail

The site is in well-related to Wood End station on the Stratford to Birmingham (North Warwickshire) line. Train services are provided by West Midlands Trains with an hourly frequency in each direction between Stratford, Birmingham and Kidderminster. The travel time to Birmingham is around 40 minutes. The site is also located in reasonable proximity to Redditch, Dorridge and Whitlock’s End stations (6-7 miles away), all of which benefit from more frequent train services towards Birmingham as well as other destinations in the West Midlands.

There are some issues around seating capacity on certain peak-hour trains on the North Warwickshire line, although this is helped by the second train service each hour between Birmingham and Stratford which travels via Solihull and Dorridge.

Passenger facilities at Wood End are currently limited, reflecting its low footfall. Access by means other than a car to the station is currently challenging, and there is limited formal parking. There is an aspiration to electrify the Snow Hill lines including the North Warwickshire line and increase the train frequency between Stratford and Birmingham to two trains per hour via Henley-in-Arden.

Unfortunately, Wood End offers limited potential for upgrade as part of a new settlement proposal. It is difficult to see how any further car parking or transport interchange could be provided given surrounding land uses and the availability of land unless an adjacent property such as the Warwickshire Lad Public House were to be acquired. The current long pedestrian paths and stepped access to each platform along with the lack of footbridge linking the two platforms would need to be addressed through the provision of a full ‘Access for All’ standard bridge including lifts. Some improvements to the roads leading to Wood End station may be required.

On-board passenger count data from the Train Operator would be required to ascertain the level of overcrowding on current (peak-hour) services. The provision of the second train per-hour via Henley-in-Arden would be highly desirable to give a train frequency level that both encourages rail use and discourages trips being made towards Redditch and Dorridge to access other rail services. The modal share for rail trips would be strong towards southern and central Birmingham, but less strong towards other key areas such as Solihull and UK Central without driving to other stations or interchange within Birmingham.

The key infrastructure upgrade of Wood End station is unlikely to be deliverable due to the availability of land and surrounding uses unless third-party land can be acquired. The decisions around any train service improvement to provide a half- hourly service as well as electrification of the Snow Hill lines rest with DfT and the West Midlands Rail Executive. Whilst a decision to proceed with a new settlement option in this area would make a positive contribution towards the business case for these improvements, it is unlikely to be the deciding factor. It is recommended therefore that a proactive dialogue with WMRE be instigated should this settlement option proceed to the next stage of assessment.

Bus

There are no inter-urban bus routes which pass near or through the site. Local bus services are also limited in this area. Rail services on the North Warwickshire line provide the main public transport links for local residents.

A new high quality, frequent service between Redditch, Blythe Valley Business Park, Shirley and Solihull will be required to help meet demand from the new settlement. An upgrade of the existing Service 517/519 between Redditch, Tanworth-in-Arden, Shirley and Solihull is not considered appropriate due to the many communities it serves.

Provision of high quality bus stops with shelters, Real Time Information and raised kerbs, along with bus priority measures at key junctions on the route of the proposed inter-urban service and within the new settlement should be provided. This will include locations within the West Midlands Combined Authority area, therefore the involvement of Transport for the West Midlands (TfWM) and Solihull Council in the development of this route should be sought.

The proposed new inter-urban bus service and associated infrastructure improvements should be deliverable, affordable and viable in the long term if planned and promoted properly.

Highway (Strategic)

The site is located close to the A435, which provides direct access to the M42 at Junction 3. This gives access to the M5 (west), M6 (east and north) and M40 (east and south). The A435 is dual-carriageway standard either side of M42 Junction 3 and is designated as part of the Key Route Network (KRN) in the West Midlands and Major Road Network (MRN) in Worcestershire and Warwickshire, these being the most strategically significant local roads within these areas. The M5 (south) is also accessible from the A435 and the A46, albeit through a designated Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) within Studley.

The M5/M6/M42 Motorway Box distributes strategic traffic passing through, around and within the West Midlands conurbation. As such it carries very heavy traffic levels throughout the day and at weekends. Part of the M42 is covered by Active Traffic Management measures to help manage flows during peak periods of use and during incidents. Provision of Smart Motorway technology on other sections of the M42 was under consideration until the recent pause was instigated by the previous Government.

A new Junction 5A on the M42 is currently being constructed by National Highways as part of a committed scheme from its Road Investment Strategy Period 2 (2020- 25) programme. The aim of the scheme is to improve the operation of M42 Junction 6 near Birmingham Airport/NEC and the forthcoming HS2 Interchange Station.

Access to the SRN via the A435 is adequate, although a detailed assessment of its capacity and junction performance at M42 Junction 3, B4101, Gorcott Hill/A4023, on the A4189 corridor which passes through the villages of Ullenhall and Claverdon, A435/A4189 Dog Roundabout and adjacent A4189 Warwick Road/Alders Drive/Claybrook Drive Roundabout in Redditch Borough, A435 Washford Mill, A435 Barley Mow Roundabout, A435/A448 Bromsgrove Road in Studley, A435/B4089 Alcester Heath Roundabout, A46/A435/A422 Arrow Roundabout, A435/A46 Oversley Mill Roundabout and impact on the Studley AQMA will be required. In addition, a detailed assessment of the impact on community severance and road safety in Studley and Mappleborough Green will also be required.

M42 Junction 3 was subject to a modest upgrade in December 2019, with the aim of reducing congestion through the junction and on its approaches. Should this site go forward to further assessment, proactive engagement with National Highways will be required to assess the impact of a new settlement option on Junction 3, as well as Junction 2 (A441/Hopwood Services), Junction 4A (M40) and Junction 4 (A34/A3400). Engagement with Birmingham City Council and Worcestershire County Council in relation to the A435 KRN/MRN will also be required.

Any major improvements to the SRN or MRN required as a result of the assessment are likely to be costly and will need to be considered in light of other significant infrastructure requirements to understand overall viability. More modest improvements should be affordable and deliverable, assuming they can be accommodated within existing highway boundaries without the need for third-party land.

Highway (Local)

The site is reasonably well-related to the Local Road Network in terms of the B4101 and B4102, which provide links towards the A435 (west), A34 Shirley/Solihull (north) and A3400 Hockley Heath/Dorridge (east). Links towards the A3400 Stratford-upon- Avon and A4189 Warwick are less good, requiring use of largely ‘C’ road lanes.

Existing traffic on local roads in this area is a combination of local trips and other medium distance traffic using routes to avoid congested routes and centres (e.g. Hockley Heath), access the SRN at M42 Junctions 3 and 4 and M40 Junction 16 or avoid the SRN when there is a problem on the Motorway Box (M5/M6/M42). This results in issues with rat-running and speeding, which impacts on local communities and causes congestion at local junctions.

A comprehensive assessment of the impact of a new settlement option in this area will be required to assess capacity and safety issues, which given its potential impacts should include involvement from Solihull Council and Worcestershire County Council. An upgrade of the B4101 from the new settlement to the A435 will be required to protect local communities including those in the villages of Tanworth-in- Arden and Wood End, where provision of a bypass should be strongly considered.

Use of existing (upgraded) roads should be considered where possible to avoid the need for a new bridge under/over the railway line as part of any scheme.

Investment in an upgrade of the B4101 to link the new settlement with the A435 which minimises/avoids impacts on Tanworth-in-Arden and Wood End will be the key infrastructure requirement from an LRN perspective. This should be achievable through a new alignment for the B4101 through the development, the key challenges (and cost) being the need for a crossing over the railway line and how the route should link back into the existing B4101/A435 junction, which will almost certainly require third-party land.

A package of local junction improvements will be required, including B4101/B4102 Wood End, B4102/A34 Shirley and B4101/A3400/B4439 Hockley Heath – all of which should be affordable within the overall IDP. Some third-party (non-highway) land may however be needed to deliver certain improvements, particularly where a new roundabout is required.

Education

The strategic education impacts will be the same as for Site A1.