Land off Hampton Road,
Knowle

The consultation masterplan showed a proposed active travel route extending towards Alveston Grove, and we recognise the concerns raised by residents about the potential for a connection and the resulting increase in pedestrian activity.

Following the public consultation and further review by the transport team, it is not proposed that there will be a pedestrian or cycle connection from the development onto Alveston Grove. Appropriate walking and cycling connections can instead be provided via Hampton Road and the existing Public Right of Way, which will be retained and improved.

In planning and urban design, “landmark buildings” usually means buildings that are designed to be particularly distinctive or prominent, helping people recognise a place and find their way around a development.

They might be used at a key entrance, important junction, prominent corner or focal point. A landmark building does not necessarily mean a very tall or dramatic building. It can simply be differentiated through its architecture, height, materials, roofline, detailing or positioning.

Two-and-a-half storeys generally means two full floors with additional accommodation within the roof space. Typically, a 2.5-storey home would be around 9–11 metres to the ridge, although the exact height would depend on the detailed design and roof form.

The aim is to retain and strengthen the most important existing habitats and provide new habitat areas and connections through the site. Ecology work considers how species use the wider area, not simply whether individual animals are present on a particular day. The planning application will set out the proposed ecological mitigation, habitat creation and management arrangements, including how Biodiversity Net Gain will be secured and monitored over the required period.

The land comprising the existing football and cricket grounds, to the south of Hampton Road, does not form part of Bloor Homes’ current proposals and is not within the proposed development site.

The future use of that land is a matter for the landowner. Bloor Homes is focused solely on the land included within its current proposals and cannot comment on any future intentions the landowner may have for the football and cricket ground land.

The site south of Hampton Road is a separate draft allocation in the emerging local plan (reference KN1B) for 58 dwellings. However, it requires existing sports provision and football pitches to be relocated before any redevelopment can take place.

We recognise the concerns raised about existing infrastructure within Knowle. A development of up to 150 homes cannot be expected to resolve all of the village’s existing infrastructure issues, but it will be required to address the additional demands arising from the development.

As part of the planning application, the potential impacts on matters such as highways, education, healthcare, drainage and other local infrastructure are being assessed. Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and the relevant service providers will consider that evidence and determine what mitigation or financial contributions are required as part of the development.

The proposals themselves will also deliver benefits including around 60% of the site as green space and green infrastructure, together with new and improved walking and cycling connections which will link into the existing network and help improve connectivity between the site and the wider village.

Any necessary infrastructure improvements and financial contributions would be secured through the planning process by the S106 legal agreement and the Community Infrastructure Levy. The council's Infrastructure Funding Statement will inform decisions on how the contributions will be spent. The council will also update their Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) which sets out strategically how the council's necessary infrastructure will be improved (where required) in line with development, inclusive of healthcare and education. The IDP will be informed by draft site allocations and 'commitments' (i.e. approved residential planning applications). The council is required to update its IDP in line with the draft local plan, therefore the council should publish the IDP in the next local plan consultation (October/November 2026), where it will be possible to provide comments.

Affordable housing can include different types of homes, including Social Rent and other affordable rented homes, as well as affordable home ownership options such as shared ownership, discounted market sale homes and any potential future Government initiatives.

At this stage, the exact split between rented and affordable home ownership has not yet been determined. The final tenure mix would be discussed and agreed with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council through the planning process, taking account of local housing needs and relevant planning policy. Where affordable home ownership is provided, the eligibility criteria, including whether any local connection requirements apply, would also be determined through the appropriate arrangements with the Council.

Affordable homes are homes provided for people who may not be able to afford to rent or buy a suitable home on the open market. They can include homes for affordable rent as well as homes that help people get onto the property ladder, such as shared ownership. When we say that 40% of the homes will be affordable, this means that 40% of all the homes proposed would be provided as affordable housing.

For example, if 150 homes were built, 60 would be affordable homes and 90 would be market homes. Affordable housing can be provided in a number of different ways, including Social Rent, other affordable rented homes, discounted market sale homes and shared ownership. The exact mix of affordable homes would be agreed with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council through the planning process and secured as part of the planning permission.

We are not proposing covenants limiting each home to one vehicle. Parking provision would be designed in accordance with the relevant standards and agreed through the planning process. The aim of providing good walking and cycling connections is to give residents realistic alternatives for shorter journeys; it would not prevent people from owning or using a car.

The ecological surveys will form part of the technical evidence supporting the planning application. Once the application has been submitted and validated, the relevant reports would normally be available to view on Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s online planning register.

Severn Trent has formally confirmed in response to a Development Enquiry Request that there is sufficient capacity within the existing network to serve the proposed development. The supporting drainage and utilities information, including the evidence relating to capacity, will form part of the planning application submission and will be publicly available through Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's planning portal once the application has been validated.

Grimshaw Hall is not the only heritage consideration. It is a particularly important consideration because it is a Grade I listed building close to the site, but the heritage assessment also considers the wider historic environment and the character and identity of Knowle. The planning application will include a Heritage Assessment setting out the potential effects of the proposals and the measures incorporated into the design in response.

Sustainability considerations extend beyond the management of construction waste. The detailed sustainability and construction strategies will consider matters such as energy use, building standards, materials, transport and construction activity. Contractors and suppliers would also be expected to operate in accordance with the environmental requirements and standards that apply to the development. More detailed information will be provided at a more detailed stage, prior to commencement of development, and secured via a Construction and Environmental Management Plan.

The intention is for the development to be all-electric. The detailed energy strategy, including the use of technologies such as air-source heat pumps and solar panels, is still being developed and will be set out in the subsequent detailed Reserved Matters application. We therefore cannot confirm a final percentage of homes with solar panels or heat pumps at this stage.

The ecological surveys and supporting ecology reports will form part of the technical information submitted with the planning application and will be available through the Council’s planning register once the application has been validated.

The long-term management arrangements for new habitats and green infrastructure have not yet been finalised. They would be secured through the planning process and could involve a management company or another appropriate management body. The important point is that the habitats would be subject to an agreed long-term management and monitoring regime.

The drainage and landscape strategies are being designed together and will take account of the existing behaviour of Purnell’s Brook and the surrounding nature reserve. The intention is not to remove naturally occurring wet areas that support existing habitats. Detailed flood-risk, drainage and ecological assessments will inform the final design so that flood risk is managed appropriately while recognising the ecological value of the area.

We are aware that the emerging Local Plan identifies a figure of 114 homes for the site. However, the draft pre-submission Local Plan has only just been published and will undergo formal consultation in October/November 2026. The council assessed the site capacity based on their assumptions, rather than being informed by site-specific, detailed evidence base. The appropriate number of homes will be considered through the planning application process, taking into account the characteristics and constraints of the site, technical evidence and other relevant planning considerations. The planning application inclusive of its wide range of technical work undertaken relating to all relevant planning considerations will demonstrate how up to 150 homes could be accommodated while retaining around 60% of the site as green space and green infrastructure.

No restriction is proposed on the number of vehicles residents may own. The Transport Assessment will consider the likely number and distribution of vehicle trips generated by the development and their effect on Hampton Road and the surrounding highway network. Parking would be provided in accordance with the relevant standards, alongside walking and cycling connections intended to provide alternatives for some journeys.

The Transport Assessment will consider the effect of additional traffic on the surrounding road network. Heritage impacts are assessed separately through the Heritage Assessment, which considers the significance and setting of heritage assets and the potential effects of the proposals. Where necessary, the planning process will consider whether mitigation is required.

The existing Purnell’s Brook Nature Reserve does not form part of the proposed development site, and no development is proposed within it. The Nature Reserve will therefore be retained and will not be directly impacted by the development.

Measures will also be incorporated into the proposals to ensure that the Nature Reserve and the wildlife it supports, including bats, birds and other species, are protected both during construction and in the long term. These include:

• Measures to prevent pollution and surface water run-off from entering Purnell’s Brook during construction.
• A sensitive lighting strategy to avoid unacceptable increases in light levels along the retained woodland and adjoining habitats, particularly for light-sensitive species such as bats.
• Positioning homes so that rear gardens do not directly back onto the adjoining vegetation, helping to reduce the potential for garden encroachment, littering, and disturbance.
• Providing a landscaped and vegetated buffer between the development and the existing habitats, creating a natural edge and helping to minimise potential effects.

Ecological surveys have also been undertaken to understand the habitats and species using the site and surrounding area. These will inform the mitigation, habitat enhancement and long-term management measures that accompany the planning application.

The affordable homes would be allocated or sold in accordance with the eligibility arrangements that apply to the particular tenure. Whether a specific local connection requirement would apply has not yet been determined and would be discussed with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council as the affordable housing arrangements are agreed. We therefore would not want to suggest at this stage that every affordable home would be restricted only to people already living in Knowle.

The Transport Assessment will consider existing traffic conditions and the additional traffic generated by the development, including movements along Hampton Road and at relevant junctions. Construction traffic would be considered separately through a Construction Management Plan, which would set out measures to manage construction routes, deliveries, working hours and other potential impacts.

No, We are not saying there would be no increase in traffic. A development of up to 150 homes would generate additional vehicle movements. The purpose of the Transport Assessment is to quantify those movements, understand where they are likely to travel and assess the effect on the local highway network. That evidence will form part of the planning application and will be considered by the highway authority.

The development has been set back from Hampton Road as part of the landscape- and ecology-led approach to the site. This allows a substantial area of green infrastructure to be retained and created along the site frontage, helps respond to landscape and heritage considerations and provides separation between new development and Hampton Road. The green space shown is an integral part of the current proposals and will be secured by parameter plans as part of the outline planning application; it is not being shown as land reserved for future housing.

The current intention is for the development to be all-electric, meaning homes would not be connected to the gas network or rely on oil for their principal heating. The detailed energy strategy will be developed as the scheme progresses.

The proposed vehicle access is from Hampton Road because this is the appropriate point from which the site can be served by the public highway. Alveston Grove is not proposed as a vehicular access to the development. The design and safety of the Hampton Road junction, including visibility and traffic effects, will be assessed as part of the Transport Assessment and Road Safety Audit and considered by the highway authority.

The site is in the Green Belt. The council is proposing to allocate the site for residential development with appropriate justification provided in the draft Local Plan, noting that "The allocation constitutes a 'rounding-off' of the settlement in a logical manner by continuing the Green Belt boundary on from the rear of the properties along Wychwood Avenue, down to Hampton Road. The Site lies within a parcel identified as potential grey belt in the Council's July 2026 Green Belt Assessment".

If planning permission is granted, the development would be built in phases rather than all at once. The detailed construction programme has not yet been fixed and will be detailed at a later stage, prior to commencement, in a Construction and Environmental Management Plan. Bloor Homes' proposals relate solely to the land within the current application site, and our focus is on the proposals currently being promoted for up to 150 homes.

Any proposals for development on adjoining land in the future would be a matter for the relevant landowner and would need to be considered through a separate planning process on their own merits. Bloor Homes cannot comment on or make commitments about land outside its control.

The intention is for an all-electric development, but the detailed specification for individual homes has not yet been fixed. Air-source heat pumps and solar panels are among the technologies being considered, but it would be premature to say that every home will definitely have both until the detailed energy strategy and house designs are finalised.

The intention would be to maintain public access wherever it is safe and practicable to do so during construction. There may need to be temporary diversions or short-term restrictions at particular stages for safety reasons. Any such arrangements would be managed through the construction process and communicated in advance where required.

There is not yet a fixed construction programme. If outline planning permission is granted, further detailed approvals would still be required before construction could begin. A development of this scale would then normally be delivered in phases over a number of years rather than being built all at once. A firmer programme would be available later in the planning and detailed design process.

The detailed boundary treatments and security measures have not yet been designed. At reserved matters stage, the layout, landscaping, boundary treatments and relationship with neighbouring properties would be considered in detail and assessed as part of the Reserved Matters application by the Designing Out Crime Officer. The design would need to provide appropriate privacy, security and defensible boundaries while also integrating the development with the surrounding green infrastructure.

Yes. As part of preparing the proposals, the project team has engaged with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and relevant technical consultees. This is normal for a proposal of this scale and helps identify the information and assessments that will be required. Any planning application will still be subject to the Council’s formal consultation and determination process.

We have also engaged Knowle Ward Councillors to make them aware of the emerging proposals and the public consultation.

The detailed housing mix has not yet been fixed because this is an outline proposal. The eventual mix of house sizes and types, including whether there are two-bedroom detached homes, would be developed at the detailed design/reserved matters stage and would take account of local housing needs and planning policy.

We recognise concerns about pressure on local schools. The planning application will assess the likely education needs arising from the development and the Council, as education authority, will determine whether additional school capacity or a financial contribution is required in line with their Infrastructure Delivery Plan and Infrastructure Funding Statement. Any necessary mitigation would be addressed through the planning process rather than the developer independently determining school admissions or capacity.

The current proposals show a single principal vehicular access from Hampton Road. It is proposed as a priority T-junction rather than a roundabout. The detailed junction design, visibility and highway safety will be tested through the Transport Assessment and Road Safety Audit and considered by the highway authority.

The existing public footpath will remain as part of the long-term proposals and the scheme seeks to integrate it into the wider network of walking routes and green infrastructure. Access towards the canal would also be retained along Hampton Road. During construction, temporary diversions or restrictions may occasionally be needed for safety, but the long-term objective is to maintain and improve pedestrian connectivity rather than remove it.

The land between the proposed development and Grimshaw Hall is shown primarily as green infrastructure and landscape buffer within the current masterplan. The detailed treatment and management of different areas will be developed further through the planning process, so it would be premature to say that all of that land will continue to be farmed in the same way as it is today.

The proposals are intended to strengthen the existing network rather than suggest there are currently no walking or cycling routes. Improvements include new connections through the site, links to existing public rights of way and the canal corridor, and measures along Hampton Road to make walking and cycling connections safer and more convenient. The detailed package will be set out in the Transport Assessment and movement strategy submitted with the planning application.

The Landscape and Visual Appraisal will consider how the proposed development could affect views from a range of locations around the site. This includes views experienced by people using public rights of way and local roads, as well as people living in nearby homes.

This will include residents of Wychwood Avenue, and the potential effect of the proposed development on views from these properties will be considered as part of the assessment.

There are no proposed restrictions through the planning application on whether a market home is owner-occupied or privately rented. Once a market home has been purchased, decisions about renting the property would be a matter for the individual homeowner, subject to any relevant mortgage, legal and regulatory requirements.

Short-term or holiday letting, such as Airbnb, is different. Depending on the nature and intensity of the use, using a home principally as short-term accommodation can amount to a material change of use and may require separate planning permission. This would be a matter for the homeowner and the Local Planning Authority at the relevant time.

The canal curve does not form part of the proposed development site and is not being developed as part of Bloor Homes’ proposals.

The application relates only to the land within the defined site boundary. The canal curve lies outside that boundary and would remain unaffected by the proposed residential development.

If outline permission were granted, the scheme would still need to go through reserved matters and the discharge of relevant pre-commencement conditions before work could begin. Those stages can take a number of months and are dependent on the scope of the approvals and the Council’s determination process. A more reliable start date can only be given once those approvals are further advanced.

Yes, The canal and towpath are important recreational and ecological features and their relationship with the development is being considered as part of the landscape, ecology, heritage and movement work. Increased use of existing routes is one of the matters that can be considered through the planning process. The proposals are intended to provide managed connections while retaining the character and function of the canal corridor.

The project team is liaising with the relevant utility providers regarding water supply and capacity. The detailed utility information, including the available connection strategy, will be confirmed through the technical work supporting the planning application.

As the proposals are currently at outline stage, the detailed design and precise routing of utility and drainage connections have not yet been determined. Surface water will be discharged into the Purnell Brook directly and foul water will connect into the existing Severn Trent Water sewer to the west of the Purnell Brook. The on-site drainage strategy is not proposing any connections within Hampton Road.

A priority T-junction is a conventional three-arm junction where traffic on one road has priority and vehicles joining from the side road must give way. In this case, Hampton Road would remain the through route and vehicles leaving the development would give way before entering Hampton Road. The detailed design would be subject to highway safety assessment and approval.

The proposal is for up to 150 homes, of which 40% would be affordable housing and the remainder would be market housing. If 150 homes were built, that would equate to 60 affordable homes and 90 market homes. The exact affordable housing tenure mix – for example Social Rent, other affordable rented homes and affordable home ownership – has not yet been fixed and would be agreed with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council through the planning process. The detailed mix of house sizes and types would also be determined in the subsequent Reserved Matters application.

The Transport Assessment will look at how development traffic is likely to distribute across the surrounding highway network, including routes used to reach the strategic road network. Residents of Arden Vale Road will be able to comment during the formal planning consultation. Construction traffic would be managed separately through a Construction Management Plan, including appropriate construction routes where these are required. The Construction Management Plan will be agreed at a detailed stage prior to commencement, as part of a condition discharge application which will be available to view on the council's online planning portal.

Bloor Homes is promoting the site with the intention of delivering the development itself and does not intend to sell the site on to another developer.

The development has been set back from Hampton Road as part of the landscape- and ecology-led approach to the site. This allows a substantial area of green infrastructure to be retained and created along the site frontage, helps respond to landscape and heritage considerations and provides separation between new development and Hampton Road. The green space shown is an integral part of the current proposals and will be secured as such in the parameter plan as part of the outline planning application; it is not being shown as land reserved for future housing.

The drainage, flood-risk and water-supply work is being progressed as part of the technical evidence for the planning application. The relevant reports and strategies will be submitted with the application and, once it has been validated, they will be available to view on Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s planning register.