Birmingham Green Party Says Local Plan Must Be Bolder to Benefit Residents
Birmingham Green Party councillors have called for changes to the council’s Local Plan to ensure residents benefit from warmer homes, lower bills and improved access to green space and local amenities.
The Birmingham Development Plan or Birmingham Plan is the local planning policy for the entire city. It helps decide what is built or developed across the city from extensions, to major housing developments, to changing the use of a building.
The City Council is currently looking to make changes to the plan to make it more up to date and has just finished a 6 week consultation on what should be in it.
Birmingham Green Party Group has responded calling for the plan to maximise the benefits for residents through bolder ideas and stronger targets.
Birmingham Green Party Group Leader Julien Pritchard said:
“Planning documents may sound technical and boring, but this one will help shape development in the city for the next two decades. The council mustn’t miss this opportunity to make improvements to our citizens’ quality of life.”
“Our ideas for the Birmingham Plan would not only help the city tackle the climate emergency, but ensure more people can get good quality, warm, affordable housing, as well as helping to create a more liveable city where everyone has access to what they need and get around easier.”
The Green Party’s ideas include:
All New Homes to Have the Highest Energy Efficiency Standards
Developers need to show how they are going further than Future Homes Standard for the energy standards of new homes. Requiring Passiv Haus or AECB levels of efficiency, or at least developers having to show how they have followed these systems to drive down energy use in new homes and save people on their fuel bills.
All Roofs to Have Two Uses
Every new roof built should have another use as well as being a roof, e.g. solar panels or a green roof. This would benefit residents by reducing their bills.
Building Re-use and Retrofit Needs to Improve Energy Performance
Where a developer needs to apply for planning permission for significant changes or change of use of buildings, they should need to show they are increasing the energy efficiency of the building to at least EPC A rating. Again saving residents money by cutting their bills.
Higher Housing Densities than Currently Proposed & Link to Transport Provision
Increasing the density target to 150 dwellings per hectare in the city centre, 80 dwellings per hectare in local centres, 70 dwellings per hectare near good public transport, and 50 dwellings per hectare everyone else. This is to help provide more housing, and make sure this is close to local services and good transport.
15 Minute Village Concept Should be at the Centre of Local Plan
Making the concept of 15-minute village, where everything someone might need is just a 15 minute walk away, a core concept of the Birmingham Plan. To ensure people don’t have to travel for miles to meet their needs.
Target of 25% Homes Built for Social Rent in All New Developments.
Introducing a target of number of homes built for social rent (council housing or housing association) in any new developments, as well as the affordability target (currently 35%). This would be at least around 25% of the total homes, so at least 70% of the affordable homes, in any development. Other Councils have a similar target, e.g., West Berkshire. Helping address Birmingham’s housing and more residents in housing need.
Greater Increases to Open Space Standards
Having a target of at least 2.5 hectares of open space per 1,000 people, which is higher than what the Council is proposing. This could be for lots of different uses including playing sports, walking the dog or just enjoying nature.
Increasing Biodiversity by 50% in New Developments
Having a target to increase the amount of biodiversity in any new development by 50%. This helps improve nature and more people enjoy nature in the city. The majority of land in Birmingham is already developed and brownfield, and therefore has low levels of biodiversity.
A Building Re-use First Approach
The new Birmingham Plan should have a reuse first approach for old buildings. Any buildings over a certain size should be assessed to see if they can be re-used rather than demolished. Developers would have to take into account amount of carbon needed in building a new building
Developers would have to show how demolition would be less carbon intensive than keeping re-using a current building, including the embodied carbon of building the new building, of demolition, as well as the operation of the old and new building.
Comparative Carbon Audit of New Planning Policies
All planning policies to be checked so they are in line with the council’s net zero ambitions.
Effective ban on Fossil Fuel Extraction
Introducing a policy that would effectively ban fossil fuel extraction in the city, by forcing developers show how extraction would reduce carbon emissions. A similar policy has already been put into Kirklees Council’s Local Plan.