A decision to grant planning permission for the regeneration of Druids Heath has been quashed by the High Court, Birmingham City Council has confirmed.

The council had previously approved plans for a multi-million-pound regeneration of the estate, including up to 3,500 new homes, new green space and improved transport links.

However, residents raised concerns about being priced out of the area and the potential impact on the existing community, and launched a legal challenge to overturn the decision.

The council said it had requested that the High Court quash the original planning approval, a move which was agreed on Wednesday (04/02).
The plans had been narrowly approved in October, despite strong opposition from some residents.

Under the proposals, the council committed to making 51% of future homes “affordable”, around 1,785 properties in total. However, only 400 of those were specified in the application as social rented homes.

Social rented homes are owned and managed by local authorities or registered providers, with rents set according to government guidelines.

Towards the end of last year, residents threatened legal action, supported by Central England Law Centre, which argued the council had failed to fully disclose the project’s financial viability assessment when the plans were approved.

Such assessments are used to determine whether a development can generate enough income to cover its costs.

The decision means the regeneration scheme will now be delayed and must return to the planning committee for a fresh decision.