CONTROVERSIAL plans to develop 1,000 homes on North Worcestershire Golf Club have been submitted to Birmingham City Council, despite the site not being designated for housing in the city’s development plan.

Bloor Homes hopes to redevelop the 80-acre site near Longbridge town centre to include a two form entry primary school, play areas, an eco park and a community hub building – potentially with a church, doctor’s surgery and changing rooms.

The site currently comprises a golf course, club house and small car park, but the club was closed on March 21 this year after several years of financial troubles.

The proposed development, which was officially submitted on March 31, would use the land to build 130 one-bed, 250 twobed, 400 three-bed and 220 four-bed homes, 10 per cent of which would be low cost market housing.

But some residents from the surrounding areas have raised concerns over the potential congestion of nearby roads, namely the A38 Frankley Beeches Road, where they say queues of traffic are already a problem during peak times.

Cllr Andy Cartwright echoed these views. He said: “It’s going to create a traffic nightmare – first it was 800 homes, then it’s 1,000, now it’s a school – we’ve already got a problem with congestion and is this really going to create jobs for residents.

"Birmingham City Council didn’t see this as the right land to build on and neither do I. We’re already using too many green spaces and it’s not fair on local residents – children need open spaces.

“It’s fine to build houses and put people in but we need to think about their futures.”

He added: “If people feel strongly against the development, they should contact me through my website and I’ll demonstrate with them to show the council and the government that we don’t want this.

“Let’s give the people of Longbridge something they actually want instead.”

But Bloor Homes say that the application was submitted following significant public consultation, where they say there was a balance of views both for against their proposals.

Duncan Mackay, land director at Bloor Homes, said: "Whilst the site was not allocated in the emerging Birmingham development plan, the only reason the inspector did not include it was in the absence of detailed analysis of the impact of traffic from the development on the local road network or on local residents’ amenity.

"This work has now been completed and therefore there is no reason why the application could not be determined positively.

"Birmingham City Council has a significant housing need which it can't meet. This is a sustainable development site which would make a significant contribution to the delivery of new homes on a highly deliverable site, within the urban area with excellent access to schools, employment and local infrastructure taking pressure off the need to deliver on Green Belt land.”