Here are the biggest local planning stories from the past week.

110 homes on green belt

Plans to build up to 110 homes on Green Belt land west of Rumbush Lane, Tidbury Green, have been approved by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC).

The outline application, submitted by Rainier Developments Limited in August 2025, also includes a sports pitch, pedestrian links, access roads, parking, landscaping, drainage and open space.

The agricultural site is not allocated for development in the Solihull Local Plan, but the applicant argued it qualified as "grey belt" land.

The planning statement said the development would help address the borough's housing shortage, citing a "demonstrable unmet need for housing" and the council's lack of a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites.

Read the full story here.

Apartment block approved

A new apartment block has narrowly been given planning permission by Solihull planners.

The close vote over building the block of eight apartments in Danford Lane led to chairman of the planning committee changing his mind from initially abstaining.

Applicant Claire Rumley submitted the plan, which included demolition of the existing property, last May with it coming before Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) planning committee's latest meeting.

A design and access statement from planning agents Neil Boddison Associates said: "The proposal represents a high-quality form of residential development that responds positively to both the site and its wider context, delivering an appropriate and sustainable redevelopment of this prominent residential plot.".

Read the full story here.

Refusal overturned

The planning inspectorate has overruled another Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) decision this time for denying planning permission for a house extension and boundary change.

As the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has previously reported the authority has suffered a poor run of lost appeals this year.

Applicant Dr Nauman Khalil originally applied to have a single storey rear extension and move a boundary fence adjacent to a footpath at a property in 3 Saxon Wood Road in Cheswick Green in February.

But in a public consultation Cheswick Green Parish Council objected, writing: "There is a double corner at this location.

Read the full story here.