Cabinet backed Solihull's Local Plan on 29 September with a stepped target: 400 homes a year until 2028, rising to 1,628. Full Council votes on Tuesday 6 October.
Solihull’s Cabinet has endorsed the borough’s new Local Plan. Full Council will vote on Tuesday 6 October on whether to publish it for six weeks of formal comments.
The plan now fills in a figure that was missing from the version published last week. It spreads the borough’s 21,913-home target unevenly across the 17 years, starting low and rising steeply. (Cabinet update note, 29 September 2026)
The new homes target, year by year
Policy SMBC/HO1 in the draft plan said the target would be “stepped”, but left the numbers as “#TBC”. The update note put to Cabinet on Tuesday sets them out:
| Years | Homes a year |
|---|---|
| 2026 to 2028 | 400 |
| 2028 to 2033 | 967 |
| 2033 to 2043 | 1,628 |
Over the full period those steps add up to roughly the plan’s total of 21,913 homes. The average is the 1,289 a year that the government’s standard method sets for Solihull.
The first step is lower than the borough’s recent record. Over the last ten years Solihull built an average of 647 homes a year, with a range of 287 to 828. The last step is two and a half times that average. (Draft Submission Plan, paragraph 105)
The plan gives its reasons in paragraphs 106 to 109. National guidance allows a stepped target when the requirement jumps sharply, or when big sites will only deliver later. The council says both apply. A large share of the land is in strategic sites and station areas, most of it in the Green Belt.
The 2020 plan, later withdrawn, also used a stepped target. The Full Council report says the inspector examining it agreed that approach “in principle”. (Report to Full Council, 6 October 2026)
Where the big numbers sit
The update note also adds two summary tables. The largest areas for homes near stations are:
- 1,577 at Shirley, Whitlock’s End and Wythall stations
- 1,350 at Berkswell
- 1,350 at Hampton in Arden
- 1,190 at Tile Hill
- 1,100 on land at phase 3 of the Balsall Common relief road
- 814 at Dorridge
- 802 at Widney Manor
Marston Green adds 36, for a total of 8,219.
The largest allocated sites are Barratt’s Farm in Balsall Common (1,160), East of Solihull (770) and South of Dog Kennel Lane in Blythe (700). Allocated sites total 4,877. Our report on the draft plan covers the full land supply.
What happened at Cabinet
Cabinet met at 8pm on 29 September, straight after the Economic Development, Managed Growth and Skills Scrutiny Board had examined the plan. Members had all sat through that session, so they asked no further questions. (Cabinet draft minutes, 29 September 2026)
Mark Sullivan of CPRE Warwickshire asked questions about changes to the plan’s site allocations. The minutes record that the Leader said these issues would be considered at the examination.
The Scrutiny Board made four recommendations, which Cabinet passed on to Full Council. They ask the council to:
- show which evidence documents it is relying on and which need updating, with a timetable
- confirm that the cumulative impact of sites will be looked at before planning applications are decided
- confirm that land around stations and “grey belt” land is not automatically removed from the Green Belt by adopting the plan
- keep working with neighbouring councils on growth sites that cross the borough boundary
What happens next
- Tuesday 6 October, 5pm: Full Council meets in the Civic Suite. The Local Plan is item 8. Two earlier agenda items are set aside for residents’ and councillors’ questions about the Local Plan only. (Full Council agenda, 6 October 2026)
- Before the end of October: if approved, the plan is published for six weeks of formal comments. The report says it needs time to set up the consultation portal first.
- By 31 December 2026: the plan must be submitted to the government. That is the deadline for plans under the old system.
- Then: a planning inspector holds hearings and reports on whether the plan is sound.
What it means for you
- The six weeks are the window that counts. Comments must say whether a specific policy or paragraph is “sound” or legally compliant, and what change would fix it. The Planning Inspectorate’s model form asks for exactly that.
- Live near one of the station areas? The numbers above are now the official capacities. There is still no detailed layout for any of them.
- Planning applications are not judged against this plan yet. The council report says it is unlikely to carry much weight until at least the examination stage.
- Want to watch? Full Council is webcast on the council’s democracy site.
We will report the Full Council decision and the opening of the consultation. New applications are tracked on our Solihull planning news page.
Sources: Cabinet agenda and draft minutes, 29 September 2026; Update note to Cabinet, 29 September 2026; Draft Submission Plan; Report to Full Council, 6 October 2026.
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