The Accelerated Housing Delivery programme, which aims to facilitate housing developments on underused council land in Solihull, has encountered significant delays.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Investment Board is set to review several ‘red rated’ projects that have stalled, including the Accelerated Housing Delivery – Utilising Solihull Assets scheme. This initiative seeks to boost housing delivery by redeveloping underutilised sites owned by Solihull Council and overcoming obstacles that might hinder construction.
A report prepared for the Board meeting on Monday, 17 August, highlights that the programme has previously missed completion deadlines and now faces a proposed extension to 2023.
READ MORE: Birmingham man jailed for repeated assaults on estranged wife following divorce request
READ MORE: Parking Charges to Return at Wyndley Leisure Centre with Free Parking for Users
Factors contributing to the delay include the addition of two new projects to the programme, the withdrawal of the Solihull Draft Local Plan in 2024 which has affected the timing of Outline Business Case (OBC) submissions, changes in national legislation impacting the housing market, as well as prolonged planning and landowner negotiations.
According to the report, “The programme supports housing delivery through the use of SMBC land interests and by addressing barriers to development, including site constraints, infrastructure requirements and land assembly issues.” The original completion date of December 2022 has already been extended to March 2023. Of the approved £2.82 million funding allocation, £2.68 million has been claimed so far.
Several viable housing sites have been identified within the programme, notably Middlewood House and Rowood Drive. OBCs are to be prepared for each site and submitted to WMCA for evaluation.
A revised Change Request has been submitted, seeking:
- An increase of £424,000 to the programme allocation, balanced by a £3.049 million overall reduction across the wider Accelerated Housing Delivery Programme, with the freed funds reallocated to support other affordable housing projects.
- An extension of the delivery timescale to April 2032.
- Revised delivery arrangements, including the incorporation of the Playing Pitch Implementation Strategy (PPIS).
Middlewood House and Rowood Drive have advanced to the OBC stage and will proceed independently through to Full Business Case approval.
Previous Change Requests submitted in June 2024 and June 2025 were not progressed as the delivery strategy underwent review. The current Change Request, initially submitted in April 2026 and updated in July 2026 following WMCA stakeholder feedback, is under appraisal and requires Investment Board approval due to the significant extension of programme timescales.
The Middlewood House development plans to deliver 23 affordable, net zero residential units, while the Rowood Drive project aims to construct over 30 homes. Both schemes are also seeking additional funding and further time extensions through separate change requests.