Sandwell Local Plan - Reg 19 Publication

(2) Introduction

Sandwell Local Plan - contents

1. The Sandwell Local Plan (SLP) has been prepared and approved for consultation by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, referred to in this document as the Council.
2. The Plan is structured as follows:

• This section sets out how the Plan has been prepared and establishes the local context, highlighting the strategic challenges Sandwell faces.
• Section 1 provides the spatial Vision, strategic objectives and priorities of the SLP that provide the basis for the policy and spatial approach.
• Section 2 sets out the Spatial Strategy for Sandwell and the background to the Council's decision to adopt the Balanced Green Growth approach.
• Section 3 sets out the overarching policies intended to provide a framework for and inform the rest of the Plan.
• Sections 4 - 15 set out the detailed policies, organised by themes and reflecting the role of the Vision in delivering sustainable growth for Sandwell.
• Section 16 sets out monitoring targets

3. In addition to this, the Plan contains appendices that address in more detail certain aspects of the policies and contain information on allocated sites for both housing and employment uses. Alongside the Plan sits a focussed evidence base that contains the up-to-date information and data used to inform the Council's approach.
4. A series of topic papers have been produced that address certain policy areas in more detail and explain the thinking behind the direction Sandwell Council has taken to the delivery of growth and development in the borough.
5. The Council has also produced a paper on the background and choices related to the identification of the Spatial Strategy for the SLP, setting out the spatial growth options that were considered as reasonable alternatives. These were subject to sustainability appraisal and the outcome of this work resulted in the development strategy set out in Policy SDS1.

Purpose of the document

6. The Sandwell Local Plan (SLP) contains strategic and non-strategic planning policies and land allocations intended to support the growth of Sandwell over the years to 2041. The planning policies will:
   1. guide land use and development across the borough; and
   2. set strong standards for design, growth and transformation.
7. The draft SLP contains a Vision for Sandwell in 2041, underpinned by strategic objectives and priorities designed to deliver the Vision and its associated objectives.
8. Once adopted, the SLP will provide a clear and robust strategy for bringing development sites forward, with a strong presumption in favour of sustainable development on brownfield land. It will provide certainty and transparency to residents, businesses and developers around how Sandwell is expecting to grow to 2041.

Why does Sandwell need a Local Plan?

9. National planning legislation requires all local authorities to develop a long-term plan that sets out how and where land can be developed over a minimum timescale of 15 years, to meet the needs of local people and businesses. The SLP, which sets out strategic and development management policies^[2] for Sandwell, will provide a policy framework to:
   1. provide certainty over the types of development that are likely to be approved;
   2. address the issue of climate change;
   3. protect and enhance designated areas of ecological and environmental importance;
   4. promote and enhance physical and mental health in accordance with health and well-being strategies;
   5. facilitate the delivery of the right development in sustainable locations to help meet identified and emerging needs;
   6. help address housing needs between now and 2041;
   7. attract new businesses and jobs and offer existing businesses the space to grow by helping to meet employment land needs;
   8. increase employment opportunities;
   9. support the aims of wider Black Country and West Midlands Combined Authority economic strategies;
   10. prevent uncoordinated development;
   11. ensure infrastructure, such as roads, public transport, new schools, new healthcare facilities, upgraded utilities and broadband, waste and sewage disposal, is provided at the right time to serve new homes and employment provision.

What will the Local Plan replace?

10. When adopted the SLP will replace the Black Country Core Strategy (adopted in 2011), the Sandwell Site Allocations and Development Plan Document (the SAD, adopted in 2012) and Area Action Plans for Smethwick (2008), Tipton (2008) and West Bromwich (2012).
11. It will also incorporate elements of former supplementary planning documents as appropriate and will include details from the West Bromwich Masterplan and Interim Planning Statement. It contains details from and links to other emerging masterplans being used to drive regeneration in Smethwick (Grove Lane and Rolfe Street) and Wednesbury.

The Context of the Local Plan

12. The SLP has been prepared in the context of national and local guidance and strategies. A range of evidence has been commissioned by the Council to support the spatial strategy and policies within this plan, which will be available to view on the Sandwell local plan web page alongside the consultation documents.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

13. The NPPF sets out the Government's planning guidance for England and how it should be applied. It provides the framework within which locally prepared plans for housing and other development will be produced.
14. Planning law requires that applications for planning permissions are determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The NPPF must also be considered when preparing the development plan and is a material consideration in planning decisions. Planning policies and decisions must reflect relevant international obligations and other statutory requirements.

(6) Duty to Co-operate

15. The Localism Act (2011) introduced a requirement for all local authorities to co-operate with neighbouring local authorities and other bodies with a regulatory or strategic interest in Local Plan issues. The duty requires ongoing, constructive and effective engagement on plan-making, which may have strategic cross-boundary implications.
16. The Council has been working collaboratively with neighbouring authorities on cross-boundary issues for a number of years and will continue to do so.
17. Agreement through Statements of Common Ground (SoCG) are now a necessity and will document the cross-boundary matters that need to be addressed and what progress has been made in dealing with them.
18. Discussions are ongoing with neighbouring authorities and potential contributions to the Black Country and the Greater Birmingham and Black Country Housing Market Area (GBBC HMA) have been offered in several Local Plans, however these are still to adopted and the offers may change. The DtC statement sets out where and with whom discussions have taken place and how the council has sought to address the shortfall, it will also include Statements of Common Ground (SoCG) that have been agreed to date. The table below sets out the potential contributions to date and will be updated as necessary and when contributions have been confirmed:

Table 1 – Duty to Cooperate Contributions

Regional and Local Context

19. The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) seeks to deliver a more prosperous West Midlands. To this end, it promotes economic growth through a combination of direct investment and funding and the production of strategies and guidance focussing on key sectors and initiatives. It is responsible for the West Midlands Plan for Growth^[3], which is intended to deliver the conditions for future economic activity and expansion. In addition, it is championing a portfolio of support packages intended to deliver improvements to regional transport, skills, climate change, the environment, well-being and the delivery of brownfield sites for additional development^[4].
20. To deliver further economic success for the region, the West Midlands Local Industrial Strategy^[5] was agreed with government and published in May 2019. It sets out various priorities intended to help increase the productivity of the West Midlands.
21. The Sandwell Local Plan will also provide a basis for public and private investment decisions in Sandwell, including for Towns Fund projects and devolved housing and land funds. Sandwell Council will continue to work with the WMCA and neighbouring authorities to ensure that investment and delivery in the Black Country continues across the plan period.

Previous consultations on the Sandwell Local Plan

22. The preparation of the draft SLP commenced in late 2022 with the production of an Issues and Options Review; a public consultation was undertaken on it early in 2023. This used both traditional and online mechanisms to support consultation and draw responses from residents, the development industry and statutory bodies.
23. A total of 265 representations were received, covering various issues including the need to address climate change, protect open spaces, promote accessible and sustainable travel, deliver sufficient additional housing to meet Sandwell's needs and preserve the historic environment, ecology and canals.
24. In addition, 18 sites were identified through a Call for Sites exercise that ran in parallel with the consultation, identified by landowners and promoters / consultants. These were subsequently considered as part of the SLP site assessment process.
25. Following the Issues and Options consultation the next stage of the Plan was the production of the Regulation 18 draft version. When producing the Draft Plan, the Council considered the representations received to the Issues and Options consultation, along with a range of evidence produced to inform decision-making. Consultation on the Draft Plan took place in November - December 2023. Over 650 representations were received from interested parties and again the responses were used to inform the Regulation 19 version of the SLP.
26. The draft SLP is supported by a Sustainability Appraisal and Habitat Regulation Assessment, and an Equalities Impact Assessment. It also contains a series of appendices in an annex to this main document, which should be considered alongside the plan as necessary.

Black Country Core Strategy

27. The Black Country encompasses the areas administered by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC), Sandwell MBC, Walsall MBC and the City of Wolverhampton Council (CWC). The four authorities worked together to produce the Black Country Core Strategy, which was adopted in 2011. The existing Core Strategy has provided the framework for various Site Allocation Documents and Area Action Plans, which themselves set out local policies and site allocations for individual areas.
28. The Core Strategy covers the period between 2006 and 2026. From the outset there was a clear intention to review it five years after adoption, to ensure the spatial objectives and strategy were being effectively delivered and to keep the plan up to date. This is in line with national planning guidance. The most immediate issues both Sandwell and the Black Country are facing is that their population and economy are continuing to grow; as a result, there is a need to identify additional housing and employment sites. This increased level of demand is now beyond the capacity of' the existing Core Strategy to address.
29. The national economic situation has also changed. The Core Strategy was prepared at a time when the country was emerging from the global recession of 2008, and the Black Country itself was recovering from a period of economic and population decline. This was reflected in the Core Strategy through its clear emphasis on the intended recycling of land previously in industrial use to provide for housing and other forms of employment, e.g., office-based activities. However, the manufacturing and industrial markets of the Black Country unexpectedly remained stable, and in some cases grew, including in Sandwell. This meant that an anticipated surplus of vacant former employment land becoming available to provide opportunities for additional housing did not occur in practice. There is also a significant and ongoing demand for additional land to meet employment needs across the area, particularly in Sandwell.
30. Looking to the future, the opening of HS2 and the planned extension to the Midland Metro are likely to have a significant impact on the wider Black Country in the medium to longer term. There have also been several changes to national policy, including a revised national planning policy framework in December 2023 and associated guidance, national design guidance and changes to building regulations and environmental legislation.
31. More recently, the COVID19 pandemic during 2020 – 2022 caused a significant shift in the way the area's residents work, shop and access services. There are likely to be longer-term changes in the way communities operate that will have implications for land use, and the SLP seeks to address those issues using policies focussed on Sandwell's needs and aspirations.

Sub-regional Context

32. The Black Country forms a distinctive sub-region on the western side of the West Midlands conurbation, close to the City of Birmingham. It shares an eastern boundary with Birmingham and to the north, west and south it is bounded by districts within Staffordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. It is relatively close to centres such as Cannock and Bromsgrove. It has a unique and rich history, settlement form and topography / geology and is very much shaped by its industrial past.
33. The four local authorities within the Black Country face a similar set of social, economic, and environmental challenges and have found it effective to tackle many strategic issues on a cross-boundary basis. The authorities have worked closely together since the early 2000s to establish a clear and collective set of ambitions and directions of travel, expressed in an agreed economic and spatial strategy. Joint working has strengthened and deepened over that time – moving from establishing a 30-year Vision in 2003, to adopting a Joint Core Strategy in 2011, through to securing funding through the Black Country LEP and the West Midlands Combined Authority in 2017 to deliver priority projects.

(2) Sandwell Spatial Portrait

34. Background: Sandwell is a multi-centred and highly urbanised metropolitan borough. It comprises six historic former boroughs:

• Oldbury;
• Rowley Regis (including the town centres of Blackheath and Cradley Heath);
• Smethwick (including the town centres of Bearwood and Cape Hill);
• Tipton (including the town centre of Great Bridge);
• Wednesbury;
• West Bromwich.

35. These historic former boroughs all maintain their own distinct identities and local communities. West Bromwich is designated as Sandwell's strategic centre and is the largest town in the borough, while Sandwell Council House (the headquarters of the local authority) is situated in Oldbury, the main civic centre.
36. The Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 and is an amalgamation of the former county boroughs of Warley and West Bromwich, which in turn had been created from the previous boroughs of Oldbury, Rowley Regis, and Smethwick (Warley County Borough), and Tipton, Wednesbury and West Bromwich (West Bromwich County Borough).
37. Historically, metalworking in Sandwell dates from the Middle Ages, and coal was mined from the 13^th century onwards. Sandwell's main industrial growth, based on local coal and ironstone reserves, followed the coming of the canals in the 18^th century. Several ironworks were established here, including the Soho Manufactory (1761) at Smethwick, which was associated with the engineers James Watt and Matthew Boulton.
38. The cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the metropolitan boroughs of Dudley and Walsall all share a border with Sandwell. Spanning the borough are the parliamentary constituencies of Smethwick, Tipton & Wednesbury, and West Bromwich, whilst the Halesowen constituency, which is primarily in Dudley, includes parts of Rowley Regis.
39. The borough covers an area of 86 square kilometres. It contains 1,200 hectares of parks, playing fields and local green space and around 66km of canals.

Figure 1 - Sandwell Metropolitan Borough

40. The borough has excellent access to the wider national motorway network via two junctions of the M5 motorway (Junction 1 in West Bromwich and Junction 2 at Birchley Island), and two junctions of the M6 motorway (Junction 7 at Great Barr and Junction 9 at Wednesbury), which between them serve the southwest, southeast and northwest regions of the UK. The interchange between the two motorways (M6, J8) lies in the north of the Borough. Sandwell also benefits from access to the national railway network via a mainline station (Sandwell and Dudley Railway Station), and the West Midland Metro runs between Wednesbury and Birmingham city centre with a 15-minute journey time.
41. In recent years, Sandwell has seen the successful delivery of several prestigious and highly visible projects and developments and this transformational growth trend is continuing. Projects that have been undertaken include:

• Sandwell Aquatics Centre – the brand-new centre was built and delivered in time for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and was used throughout the Games for swimming and aquatics events. Following the Games, the venue has been refurbished into a community health and wellbeing asset;
• Birchley Island – a £25.5m scheme to improve connectivity to the adjacent M5 Junction 2 by providing a new through lane for improved motorway access, enhanced facilities for pedestrians and cyclists and widened connected roads with signal control;
• National Foundry Training Centre - as part of the £12.7m Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills scheme, this centre provides access to industrial facilities and a purpose-built training block of 950 sqm in Tipton;
• Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro Extension via Dudley – this will create a direct public transport route from Wednesbury to the Wolverhampton / Birmingham New Street / Walsall rail line at the Dudley Port interchange.

42. Demographic Trends^[6]: The 2021 Census estimates that Sandwell has 341,900 residents, a rise of 11.0% since 2011. This compares with a rise of 6.3% in England and Wales. The 11% rise in Sandwell since 2011 is the highest in the West Midlands Metropolitan County area, the next highest being in Coventry (8.9%).
43. In 2021, Sandwell ranked 27^th for total population out of 309 local authority areas in England, moving up six places in a decade. The borough's population is predicted to grow at a faster rate than both the population of the West Midlands and the national average and is forecast to increase by 30,000 between 2016 and 2030. This area is the second-most densely populated local authority area across the West Midlands (after Birmingham)^[7].
44. Sandwell has a young and diverse population, with more than 40% of its residents under the age of 30, compared to around 30% elsewhere in the UK. Just over 40% of residents are from an ethnic minority background, making the population more diverse than the regional and UK average of 18.8% and 14% respectively.
45. The most common main languages spoken in Sandwell, other than English, are Panjabi (6.4%), Polish (1.7%), Bengali (1.0%) and Urdu (1.0%).
46. Health - the health of people in Sandwell does not on the whole compare well with national averages. Sandwell is one of the 20% most deprived districts / unitary authorities in England and around 25.5% (18,495) of its children live in low-income families. Life expectancy for both men and women is lower than the England average; 76.1 years for men and 80.7 years for women compared to 79.4 years (male) and 83.1 years (female) nationally^[8]. Life expectancy inequality also exists within Sandwell itself – life expectancy is 8.6 years lower for men and 8 years lower for women in the most deprived areas of the borough compared to the least deprived areas^[9].
47. Crime in Sandwell - In the twelve months to the end of 2023 Q3, Sandwell recorded 109.01 crimes per 1000 people. This represented a decrease from 115.13 crimes per 1000 people during the previous equivalent Q3 period. The number of recorded offences (excluding fraud) in Sandwell for the past 12 months was 37,524 crimes.
48. Sandwell therefore currently ranks at 18 out of 36 in all English metropolitan boroughs for crime. Trafford had the lowest number of offences - 85.85 crimes per 1000 people in this quarter - with Manchester having the largest number at 174.69 crimes per 1000 people offences^[10].
49. West Midlands Police (WMP) have also identified an indicative level of crime in Sandwell, taken from the ONS and their own crime figures (offences / incidents / calls) for 2022:

Table 2 - Crime Statistics

50. According to WMP, the proposed numbers of new homes (11,167 supply against a need of 29,500^[11]) would represent an 8.5% increase in the number of households within Sandwell. If the same percentage increase is applied to the actual incident and crime statistics for the area, the predicted proportional additional and total incidents / crimes likely to occur within a calendar year is likely to be in the order of 6,016 additional calls for service and 3,270 additional offences.
51. Economy and Skills: Sandwell has a long history of industrial activity, especially in manufacturing. Until the 1980s the Black Country, together with neighbouring Birmingham, was the powerhouse of Britain's manufacturing economy. The recessions in the early 1980s and during 2008 – 09 had major and lasting adverse impacts on the local economy and saw the closure of a significant number of companies and a high level of unemployment, but the sub-region has subsequently recovered.
52. The West Midlands was one of the economies hit hardest by the COVID19 pandemic^[12]. Sandwell's demography and urban structure exposed it to COVID, most notably in its central corridor of older, poor-quality housing and in ethnic minority groups where infection rates were highest.
53. The impact of successive lockdowns in 2020-21 that were needed to contain the pandemic caused significant economic damage. Sandwell was already in recession when COVID hit and subsequently experienced many business failures, most visibly on high streets. It also saw widespread rises in unemployment, particularly among young people.
54. Sandwell borough is around the same size in population terms as Nottingham (c323,700; Census 2021) and is bigger than Newcastle upon Tyne (c300,100), Milton Keynes (c287,000), and Oxford (c162,000), but these locations all have larger economies than Sandwell.
55. Sandwell has many growing and productive businesses, with a higher-than-average proportion of its businesses being small, but residents are not always able to take up opportunities related to employment and economic activities. Local businesses will often need a highly skilled workforce to enable them to adapt to meet modern demands; that workforce may also need training and support to help both deliver and accelerate innovation. Sandwell has a limited amount of the type of high-quality land needed to enable businesses to expand and grow within the borough's industrial core.
56. Productivity - Sandwell's economy (Gross Value Added) was worth £6.644 billion in 2020^[13], which represents a value of £20,192 per head. While lower than both the West Midlands Metropolitan Area and the UK averages, Sandwell's productivity is higher than that of the other authorities in the Black Country.
57. Business Population - Sandwell has around 11,680 active local business units^[14]:

• 9,620 (82.4%) are micro businesses;
• 2,015 (17.3%) are small and medium units; and
• 45 (0.4%) are large units.

58. Of these businesses, 45 are designated as 'high growth' enterprises^[15]. There is evidence of a considerable entrepreneurial spirit in the area, with approximately 1,485 new businesses being created in 2023; however, there are concerns given that 1,625 also shut down over the same period.
59. Economic Activity - In Sandwell, 71% of employees work full time, with 29% working part time^[16]. The challenge in Sandwell is in generating and maintaining positive economic growth, particularly following the pandemic, while ensuring that this growth is sustainable.
60. Two other factors that had a major underlying legacy effect on Sandwell's economy were:

• the global financial crisis of 2007-2008, which reduced access to private sector finance;
• a sustained period of public sector austerity beginning in 2010; this reduced both the overall capacity of local government to protect vulnerable communities and their ability to spend locally on projects that helped support economic growth in businesses and generate better prospects of employment and skills for residents.

61. During the early 2020s a range of economic shocks (including the COVID19 pandemic, the UK's exit from the EU market in 2020, higher inflation, and a more volatile energy and commodity market ensuing from the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022) have resulted in significant challenges for businesses of all sizes. Other changes to the economy have come about through variations in working patterns, such as a considerable rise in the number of Sandwell residents working from home.
62. It is within the context of this period of economic instability that the SLP is being developed. In effect this means that the underlying resilience of the local economic base has been tested by a period of major disruption. In terms of mitigating these challenges, Sandwell Council has had to prioritise a range of measures that have helped to lessen the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis on both local communities and businesses.
63. Ensuring economic growth is sustainable remains a major priority for future development in Sandwell and the SLP helps to deliver a key part of that process by identifying the right sites and policies to support economic growth.
64. Sandwell has a higher-than-average level of economic inactivity and unemployment.

Table 3 - Employment and Unemployment in Sandwell^[17]

65. Over the same period, NOMIS identified that 53,700 residents (25.7% of residents aged 16 - 64) were economically inactive (compared with 21.2% in Great Britain)^[18].

66. 6% of the working population are classed as unemployed^[19] (as a proportion of economically active residents), with 20.2% of households classed as 'workless'^[20] (where households contain at least one person aged 16 to 64 and where no-one aged 16 or over is in employment). Gross weekly incomes are below the national average. However, in 2023, full time average annual resident earnings for Sandwell reached £29,594, an annual increase of 7.8% (+£2,134) compared to an increase of 5.5% nationally^[21]
67. Qualifications and Skills: Around a third of the Sandwell working age population are graduates. This is significantly lower than the UK average rate for the equivalent group, forming the most highly skilled band of National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 4 or above. As a result, Sandwell has a smaller pool of workers able to compete for more highly skilled vacancies. 11.8% of the Sandwell working age population have no qualifications at all^[22]; this figure compares poorly to the UK average of 6.5%. This means that members of the Sandwell workforce are more likely than those in the rest of the UK to work in lower skilled occupations.
68. Employment: In terms of job numbers, the three main employment sectors in Sandwell are retail and wholesale, manufacturing, and health and social care. In terms of critical or Sandwell-specific sectors, where Sandwell plays a stronger or disproportionate role within the wider economy than the national average, the highest contributors are manufacturing (+111% greater than the national average); electricity, gas and air conditioning (+100% greater); water supply and waste management (+71% greater); transportation and storage (+59% greater); and retail and wholesale (+40% greater)^[23].

Table 4 - Distribution of Jobs in Sandwell

69. Workforce and travel to work: each day, 59,000 people come into Sandwell from neighbouring areas to work, and almost 62,000 of Sandwell's residents travel to work outside the borough^[24]. The job density per working age population is 0.64, compared to 0.83 in the West Midlands metropolitan area and 0.87 in the UK^[25].
70. Housing: In March 2021^[26], Sandwell had 130,246 household spaces. 54% of households were in owner-occupation, 27% were social rented and 19% were rented from a private landlord. The average household size in Sandwell is 2.42, which is slightly above the England and Wales average of 2.4. In terms of household composition, in 2021 38,042 households in Sandwell were made up of only one person, which equates to just under 30% of the total.
71. Transport: Sandwell lies at the heart of the national strategic road network. The intersection between the M5 and M6 motorways is in the north of the borough and four motorway junctions, Junctions 7 and 9 of the M6 and Junctions 1 and 2 of the M5, provide access to and from all parts of the borough. The local road network consists of 880km (547 miles) of highways, including the strategic A41, A461, A457 and A4123 routes, which link the borough's centres to each other, the wider Black Country and Birmingham.
72. There are three rail lines that pass through the borough, serving thirteen stations:

• the Stour Valley section of the West Coast Main Line provides local services from Tipton, Oldbury and Smethwick to Birmingham and Wolverhampton as well as inter-city links to London and the north;
• the Chase Line links Birmingham New Street to Walsall and Cannock and serves the north of Sandwell;
• the Birmingham Snow Hill to Worcester line serves Smethwick and the southwest of the borough.

73. In addition, large parts of the borough are served by the West Midlands Metro network, which provides connections to Birmingham and Wolverhampton. An extension to Dudley Town Centre is expected to open in 2024, with a further phase to Brierley Hill expected to complete within the first half of the plan period.
74. To complete the picture, there is an extensive 66km (41-mile) canal network throughout the borough.
75. The COVID19 pandemic combined with the shift to home working, particularly in the office sector, changed the way people move around; this is true of both the times at which they make journeys and the mode by which these journeys are made.
76. Car use has returned almost to pre-pandemic levels, with 1.29bn vehicle miles being travelled on Sandwell's roads during 2022, which is around the same as the figure for 2016 and was approaching the record peak of 1.35bn vehicle miles seen during 2019. The 2023 figures are expected to continue this upward trend^[27].
77. In contrast the number of public transport journeys, particularly during commuter periods, has not recovered to the same degree. Bus use in 2021-22 was at around 70% of pre-pandemic levels, whilst for the Metro the figure was 60% and for rail it was 50%. Whilst a recovery in journey numbers has continued, the 2022-23 figures are still expected to be significantly below pre-pandemic levels. In Sandwell, bus continues to be the most important mode of public transport, accounting for approximately four out of every five such journeys made.
78. Centres: Sandwell's origins lie in six distinct Urban District Councils, which merged to form a seamless and significant part of the wider West Midlands conurbation.
79. Sandwell is a heavily urbanised metropolitan area, with a strategic centre (West Bromwich), seven town centres, 13 district and local centres and many small parades of shops. It is a genuinely polycentric borough.
80. Sandwell has been subject to the same trends in retailing as other areas, but also suffers from significant levels of deprivation and lower incomes, which in turn has had an impact on retailing activity across the borough. The rise of 'big box' supermarkets, internet shopping, limited range discounters, out-of-centre retail parks and standalone out-of-centre supermarkets have all impacted on the vitality of its centres. The pandemic lockdown conversely provided a boost to local centres as people tended to shop more locally.
81. West Bromwich received a major boost with the delivery of the New Square development in 2013 but has fallen back in comparative terms against other centres nationally. New Square shifted the 'centre of gravity' of the retail area, with a subsequent decline in footfall and occupancy levels at parts of its periphery towards Bull Street, but also in Queens Square. West Bromwich's vacancy rate was 17.74%, compared to 13.81% nationally (as at 2022).
82. As with other urban areas, comparison shopping (i.e., for clothes, electrical goods etc.) is increasingly concentrated in the strategic centre, with other centres taking on a more service-orientated role.
83. Built heritage and natural environment: Despite its industrial heritage and highly urban nature, Sandwell is home to large tracts of open space, areas with environmental value, and a number of heritage assets.
84. Sandwell is home to 205 listed buildings and nine conservation areas. There are also five registered parks and gardens (all listed at Grade II) and seven scheduled monuments^[28]. There are many pressures on built heritage assets - to modernise or demolish historic buildings, change their uses, develop within conservation areas and the setting of heritage assets and remove landscaping. Given the irreplaceable contribution heritage assets make, the government has made it clear that it is important that heritage assets and their settings are preserved or enhanced as a reminder of the history and evolution of the area, and the SLP promotes a positive strategy to achieve this.
85. All features of the outdoor environment contribute to environmental infrastructure, including natural and semi-natural habitats, parks and other open spaces, formal and informal recreation and sports facilities, historic buildings and landscapes, the public realm of spaces and streets, rivers, canals and drainage systems.
86. Sandwell benefits from 543 green spaces, with 323 of those spaces (59%) offering unrestricted public access. This provides 3.63 hectares of open space per 1,000 population and offers more unrestricted green space access than some comparable local authorities, including Birmingham, Oldham, Hull, and Knowsley^[29]. More formal green and open spaces in Sandwell include^[30]:

• 32 parks and gardens (including nine Green Flag parks)
• 211 amenity green spaces (from small local spaces to larger communal green spaces)
• 75 natural and semi-natural green spaces (including nine recognised nature reserves)
• 22 green corridors (such as green walkways and other networks that connect areas)
• 48 outdoor sports sites (including 15 playing pitches, 27 Multi-Use Games Areas, 33 outdoor gyms, four bowling greens and 12 BMX and skate facilities)
• 34 allotment sites (with 1,336 plots)
• 69 play areas (including toddler and junior play facilities).

87. Following aerial surveys completed as part of the recent Black Country iTree project^[31], it is estimated that Sandwell contains around 265,000 trees, covering 18.1% of the borough. This is higher than the UK average of 16%. It is estimated that 81% of these trees are in good or excellent condition.
88. Broadband and 5G: Sandwell has high levels of broadband connectivity – in February 2024 92.8% of premises were gigabit capable, compared to 80.92% in the UK. As of February 2024, Sandwell had superfast broadband coverage of approximately 99.7% and full fibre coverage of 57.7%; this compares to the UK average for superfast broadband of 97.49% and full fibre coverage of 62.4%^[32].

(1) Challenges and Issues

89. The following summarises the key issues that have arisen since the Core Strategy was adopted in 2011. These issues provide the main challenges and opportunities that the Spatial Strategy, objectives and suite of policies are seeking to address:
    1. Climate change and protecting and enhancing the environment - the Plan needs to address the challenge of mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change by ensuring the principles of sustainable development are embedded across all policy areas. It will also need to create a strategy for the enhancement and protection of Sandwell's environment and to make provision for new environmental infrastructure required to support sustainable growth.
    2. Providing good quality housing that meets the needs of a growing population - the Plan needs to identify as much land as possible for housing to help meet the needs of people who are likely to live in the area over the coming years. Despite the additional housing sites that have been identified and allocated in the SLP, there is still going to be a significant shortfall in the numbers of houses available to meet identified needs over the plan period, as calculated using the Government's standard method based on household growth projections. Sandwell needs to identify land for 26,350 homes by 2041. The supply of suitable residential land based on the most recent evidence equates to the future provision of 10,434 homes. As such, there will remain an unmet need of 15,916 homes. Sandwell has a finite supply of land readily available for development; it is very unlikely that additional land to help meet housing need will be found within Sandwell itself. In part, this is due to a reduction in the availability of vacant brownfield / industrial / employment sites. Economic activity strengthened unexpectedly following the adoption of the Black Country Core Strategy and the Sandwell Site Allocations and Delivery DPD, and the quantum of redundant brownfield land that was anticipated to result from a predicted contraction in manufacturing activity did not appear.
    3. Supporting a resurgent economy that provides access to employment and opportunities for investment - the Plan should provide for a range of employment sites capable of providing for a variety of investment needs. The resurgence of economic activity has also had an impact on the availability of employment land for new and expanding businesses; companies are choosing to reinvest in their current sites rather than moving elsewhere, reducing the amount of land available to incomers. Employment land need is based on economic forecasts undertaken jointly by the Black Country authorities up to 2041. Based on past completions, a figure of 211ha is considered deliverable in Sandwell over the plan period; a higher target would be unachievable / unrealistic, as the market would struggle to deliver it. The supply of new land available and suitable for employment use in Sandwell is currently 42ha (including past completions since 2020). This includes windfall sites, generated through intensification / recycling. Vacant land accounts for 28ha of the supply. Including the level of windfall / churn land available, Sandwell is 169ha short of its need figure. In addition, the SLP supports a further 1,193ha of employment land through protecting existing allocations as well as allocating new sites. Demand for employment land within Sandwell remains high, especially for sites capable of providing for larger companies.
    4. Supporting strong and competitive centres – the SLP needs to address the health and enhance the vitality and viability of centres and ensure that Sandwell maintains realistic ambitions for their growth. The Plan should provide a flexible policy framework that will:
       1. support centres in serving future levels of growth in Sandwell (particularly housing and employment),
       2. allow centres to diversify, and
       3. provide strict tests to defend towns and other centres against proposals that could undermine them, such as out-of-centre developments.
    5. Keeping Sandwell connected - a balanced approach to transport investment is required that recognises the need to invest in all modes of transport but identifies a priority in increasing the proportion of people using public transport, walking and cycling.
    6. Providing infrastructure to support growth - physical and social infrastructure is required to enable and support the growth proposed over the plan period. New housing and economic development will put pressure on existing services and utilities but may also create opportunities to deliver infrastructure-based solutions.
    7. Health and Wellbeing- the role of the environment in shaping the social, economic and environmental circumstances that determine health and wellbeing is increasingly recognised and understood, particularly where opportunities occur through new development and infrastructure provision to link communities with open and green spaces and opportunities for both active and passive recreation.

^[1] See Appendix N – Glossary for information on the Tests of soundness.

^[2] Paragraphs 20 – 23, 28 of the NPPF (December 2023)

^[3] https://www.wmca.org.uk/documents/strategies/plan-for-growth/west-midlands-plan-for-growth/

^[4] https://www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/

^[5] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/west-midlands-local-industrial-strategy

^[6] Information in this chapter taken from Sandwell Trends, based on the 2021 census, unless otherwise stated.

^[7] https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/E08000028/

^[8] Public Health England - https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/health-profiles/data#page/1/gid/1938132696/ati/402/iid/90366/age/1/sex/1/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/3/cid/4/tbm/1

^[9] Public Health England - https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/static-reports/health-profiles/2019/e08000028.html?area-name=sandwell (2019)

^[10] Information taken from LG Inform

^[11] Based on figures published in the Regulation 18 version of the SLP

^[12] The West Midlands showed the largest negative growth in GDP in Quarter 2 2020 when compared with the same quarter a year earlier, at 24.7%; Source: ONS https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/gdpukregionsandcountries/apriltojune2020

^[13] Black Country Consortium Economic Intelligence Unit - https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiZGVkYjYzODMtN2Q0Ny00N2I3LWFiZmItZDE2OWZhOWI4OGViIiwidCI6ImNhM2RjZDRiLTRiNDUtNGUyMi1iODFhLWQ5NjMzZDVhOGM5ZSJ9

^[14] NOMIS – Business Counts 2023 https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157189/printable.aspx

^[15] A business with average annualised growth greater than 20% per annum over a three-year period is considered a high-growth enterprise. Growth can be measured by the number of employees or by turnover (Eurostat − OECD Manual on Business Demography Statistics). https://www.theeiu.org/reports/60/business-demography-2022/

^[16] Census 2021

^[17] NOMIS (Employment and unemployment figures for Jan - Dec 2023)

^[18] NOMIS - Economic inactivity (Jan - Dec 2023) https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157189/printable.aspx

^[19] NOMIS – Employment and unemployment (Jan – Dec 2023)

^[20] NOMIS - Workless Households (Jan-Dec 2022)

^[21] https://www.theeiu.org/reports/73/black-country-state-of-the-sub-region-2023/

^[22] NOMIS – Qualification Jan – Dec 2023

^[23] Source – ONS Business Register and Employment Survey, October 2022 via https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157189/printable.aspx

^[24] https://regeneratingsandwell.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Sandwells-Inclusive-Recovery-Action-Plan-for-Business-2022-2027_compressed.pdf

^[25] ONS jobs density, 2022

^[26] 2021 Census

^[27] Dept. for Transport Road Traffic Statistics 2022

^[28] Data from Historic England website (June 2024)

^[29] Paragraph 3.3, Draft Green Spaces Strategy Implementation and Business Plan 22/23 – 25/26 – Sandwell MBC Green Spaces

^[30] https://www.sandwell.gov.uk/info/200237/green_spaces_leisure_and_events/4941/green_spaces

^[31] https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/8657602fefdc4e2f87c07e668aa47810

^[32] https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/sandwell-district,E08000028