A developer seeking to construct a major new employment park on the outskirts of Sutton Coldfield has filed an appeal in a bid to pressure two local councils into reaching a decision.
IM Properties has taken action ten months after submitting planning applications to build a £363 million ‘Thrive’ employment park on the Birmingham/North Warwickshire border.
The development would be situated near Curdworth, a village on the edge of Sutton, and — crucially for the developers — close to Junction 9 of the M42.
IM Properties has developed a number of employment sites across the West Midlands, including the Peddimore site in Sutton, which is home to a large Amazon centre and sits adjacent to the current application area.
The firm submitted a cross-boundary planning application in May last year to both North Warwickshire Borough Council and Birmingham City Council, yet neither authority has yet ruled on the proposal, reports Birmingham Live.
The business park would be positioned north of Curdworth and south of Wishaw and The Belfry, on land currently designated as Green Belt — though an argument has been put forward that it qualifies as ‘grey belt’.
An artist’s impression of what the Thrive employment park would look like near Junction 9 of the M42 in Warwickshire(Image: IM Properties)
Grey belt land refers to areas within the Green Belt that have previously been developed, or land that, while technically within the Green Belt, does not sufficiently meet its intended ‘purposes’.
IM Properties stated it was seeking some ‘certainty’ for businesses looking to invest in the region, with the site potentially capable of creating up to 6,000 jobs.
The firm has now lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate to ‘speed up the process’ and bring about a formal decision. Residents have raised concerns about the sheer scale of the proposed park – which would span some 124 hectares – roughly equivalent to 150 football pitches. They too are seeking certainty, but for entirely different reasons, wanting the plans scrapped altogether.
Matthew Fox, planning director at IM Properties, said: “We have taken the decision to lodge an appeal to speed up the process to determine our application.
“This is because our proposals will deliver significant benefits for Warwickshire and the West Midlands and need to be considered thoroughly by the Government, especially in the light of revised national planning policy and the lack of local policy to properly assess large employment projects like Thrive.
Join the FREE Coventry WhatsApp community to get the latest news straight to your phone. Find out more here.
“Businesses are ready to invest and bring jobs here now -not in several years’ time.
“Against a challenging global economic and geopolitical backdrop, the West Midlands needs a new strategic employment site to support domestic high quality advanced manufacturing, RandD and logistics.
“Any further delay could see investment redirected elsewhere, and those prospects may not return.
“Local planning authorities face ongoing resource challenges and are adapting to government planning reforms, but it is vital we facilitate large-scale, cross-boundary schemes like Thrive to meet urgent regional needs.”
IM Properties maintains that an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate represents the ‘most appropriate process to properly assess the wider regional merits of Thrive and the fastest route to a decision that would help unlock inclusive growth in North Warwickshire and the wider region’.
The developer stated that Thrive would deliver ‘dedicated space for entrepreneurial, high technology start-up businesses, leading advanced manufacturers and high value logistics companies, all within a landscaped parkland setting’.
A plan of the proposed ‘Thrive employment campus’ near Curdworth shows the extent of the proposed development which is on land neighbouring the Peddimore development and its new Amazon fulfillment centre
The firm added: “The proposed site layout includes high quality buildings designed to align with IM Properties’ Sustainable Futures strategy and its focus on People, Planet and Place.
“This approach has informed the application for building and landscape design, biodiversity, highways improvements, active travel and a commitment to social value.”
To address fears of a ‘concrete jungle’, the company explained that a series of accessible open spaces and lakes would include community orchards and allotments, trim trails, play areas and quiet zones for both site workers and local residents.
A ‘central green corridor will lead to a mobility hub, offering eco-friendly transport options such as buses, bicycles, e-scooters, and smart EV (electric vehicle) charging stations’, according to the plans. Additional advantages highlighted by Thrive encompassed skills development, training programmes, educational projects and backing for schemes that could enhance communities around the site during both construction and operational phases, with IM Properties creating a structure allowing future tenants to contribute to local areas.
However, Curdworth locals expressed worries, characterising the plans as a ‘dreaded concrete jungle’ and questioning ‘Does Green Belt mean nothing?’.
Sutton Walmley and Minworth city councillor, Ken Wood, previously voiced traffic worries, stating the road system near Junction 9 of the M42 was ‘already at capacity’.
Speaking to BirminghamLive just over two years ago he said: “My main concern would be the traffic.
“We were already concerned about the volume of traffic from day one when Peddimore was pushed forward. We wanted two entries to that site, the A38 one and one to the east of Minworth to Kingsbury Road, to give traffic an alternative to going through Minworth.
“With this proposed development in Curdworth, we know Dunton Island is already at capacity at the moment. This will compound the problem. Residents are going to be really concerned, especially in Curdworth.”
Keep up with the latest news from across Warwickshire with our FREE email newsletter.