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

Noise concerns at local pub

Solihull councillors who are to make a judgement on a new licence for The Mallard pub at Tidbury Green Farm have been told concerns of potential noise and anti-social behaviour were not supported by evidence.

The 300-year-old Tidbury Green Farm set up the watering hole in a former farmhouse after being granted a licence by the authority in 2020 – but it has not used it as the pub is yet to open.

The pub's solicitor and manager attended a meeting of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's (SMBC) licensing act panel tasked with making a decision.

At the start of the meeting it was clarified the pub now wants permission to sell alcohol daily between 9am and 11pm – a change from the current allowed hours of 10.30am to 11pm.

Click here for the full article.

Plans for potential Green Belt homes revealed

The areas of the green belt in Solihull which would be used to build thousands of homes have been revealed in the draft local plan.

The 200 page plan outlines how Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) could develop up to 2043, and if adopted would act as a housing blueprint.

Solihull is under pressure to meet the government's target of building 8,500 new homes in the borough before 2029.

One of the policies in the plan is: "The council will identify sufficient land for at least 13,096 net additional homes, to ensure sufficient housing land supply to deliver 21,913 additional homes in the period 2026-2043."

Click here for the full article.

New Starbucks for Chelmsley Wood

Plans for a new Starbucks drive-thru and self-storage facility in Chelmsley Wood have been approved by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC).

The development, on vacant land at Bacon's End, Cookes Lane and Waterloo Avenue, Birmingham, will see the construction of a single-storey Starbucks drive-thru café and a three-storey self-storage building, alongside landscaping improvements, a new vehicular access and advertising signage.

A planning statement submitted with the application said the scheme would "make a meaningful contribution to the local economy, both during construction and operational phases".

According to the document, the construction programme will "support local contractors, sub-contractors, and suppliers, generating significant employment opportunities and underpinning skills development within the construction sector".

Click here for the full article.