Dudley Council is currently preparing an emerging draft Area Action Plan (AAP) for Stourbridge Town Centre. The Area Action Plan (AAP) will guide new investment into Stourbridge town centre (and major opportunity site land areas located on the edge of the town centre core closely bordering Stourbridge Ring Road) over the coming years up until the year 2026 and will set out where new shops, offices, traffic and transport improvements, public spaces and homes should be located. The Stourbridge AAP covers the area including the High Street and Lower High Street (located inside Stourbridge ring road), and existing industrial areas to the north of Stourbridge ring road and established mixed development areas located to the south. Once adopted, the AAP will form the framework for development in Stourbridge Town Centre at least up to the year 2026 to protect its special qualities but also identify area-based development proposals to stimulate enhancement where it is needed. It will provide a sound policy framework for assessing planning applications coming forward inside the AAP boundary area.
As part of the preparation for the AAP, an Urban Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) report has been produced by the Councilto provide background supporting technical evidence to support emerging policies and strategy within the AAP document. The emerging Stourbridge AAP document is currently at the draft “Preferred Options Stage” (July 2011). In preparing the Stourbridge AAP draft Preferred Options Report (July 2011), the Council has already previously undertaken public consultation on an ‘Issues and Options’ document completed during Spring 2010. There has also been earlier informal initial evidence gathering consultation completed since 2008 with key stakeholders, including major landowners in Stourbridge, Stourbridge town centre traders, developers, environmental and interest groups and Dudley Council officers. This earlier evidence gathering stage and previous public consultation has helped to identify some of the key challenges and issues currently facing the Stourbridge area and potential regeneration improvements needed to help strengthen the town centre. The Stourbridge AAP is anticipated to be adopted during between mid 2013 to early 2014.
As stated above, the AAP is currently at the draft Preferred Options stage. The 6-weeks public consultation period for the Stourbridge Area Action Plan draft ‘Preferred Options Report’ (July 2011) will commence on Monday, 18th July 2011 and will finish at 5:00pm on Monday, 29th August 2011. The draft Preferred Options report is supported by the HLC evidence base, which as stated above, has been used to inform policies within the emerging AAP document.
Further information on the Stourbridge Area Action Plan: http://dudley-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/saap/saap-po
Alternatively, the Stourbridge AAP document and related documents can be viewed on the Council’s planning web-site at: www.dudley.gov.uk/planning then click onto “Planning Policy” then “Local Development Framework” then “Stourbridge Area Action Plan”
The HLC will be used to identify constraints and opportunities for future development in the area. The designation of listed buildings, locally listed buildings, conservation areas and archaeological priority areas provides certainty for the development process.
The Historic Landscape Characterisation documents can be downloaded below.
