Councillors in Walsall are set to reconsider their official position on a contentious planning application this week, ahead of an upcoming government appeal.
The proposal involves constructing two five-bedroom houses on Barr Lakes Lane, a green belt site located within the Great Barr Conservation Area. The plans, submitted by applicant Shahzad Akram over two years ago, have sparked significant debate due to concerns relating to conservation, ecology, highways safety, planning policy, and the protection of mature trees.
Initially, Walsall Council’s planning officers recommended refusing the application because of these issues. However, the planning committee defied this advice on 19 June 2023, approving the proposal after former councillor Saiqa Nasreen, then representing a different ward, challenged the officers’ refusal. At that meeting, the council’s principal solicitor cautioned that approving the plans could place the authority in a “vulnerable position.” Nonetheless, the committee members proceeded to grant approval.
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The decision met with heavy criticism from both councillors and community groups. One local resident described the committee meeting as a “pantomime” and pursued a judicial review challenging the approval. Walsall Council later clarified that their endorsement was conditional upon the submission of further specified information, agreement on planning conditions, and completion of a Section 106 obligation.
More than a year later, Shahzad Akram lodged an appeal with a government planning inspector, citing non-determination by Walsall Council; in other words, the council had never formally issued a decision. The inspector is expected to make the final ruling on the development proposal later this year.
Given these developments, members of the Walsall planning committee will meet on Thursday, 30 July, to determine the council’s official position ahead of the appeal hearing. It is notable that many committee members who voted on the Barr Lakes Lane application are no longer serving following the local elections in May.
Further changes to the committee’s composition and procedures have been implemented following recommendations from a critical report published by the Planning Advisory Service last year.
All written submissions for the appeal must be submitted by 11 August.
“Approving the plans could place the authority in a ‘vulnerable position,’” warned the council’s principal solicitor during the original committee meeting.
Councillors’ decision this week will set the tone for how Walsall Council engages with the appeal process in the coming months.