New 80-bed development will now be part of Blythe Valley Park scheme

An 80-bed care home is set to be built at Solihull’s Blythe Valley Park.

This week, councillors gave the go-ahead for the facility, which will form part of a major mixed-use development at the sprawling campus.

The principle of the project was previously agreed in 2017, with a more detailed application for the site having been submitted to the council earlier this year.

The complex, which is to be run by Octopus Healthcare, will include a cafe in its entrance area and a 32-space car park.

A couple of members of the planning committee said that, while they would support the scheme, they were concerned there was “a real glut” of care homes being created in that part of the borough.

Cllr Richard Holt, who chairs the committee, pointed out that the plans were only one part of wider development on the site.

“I think in fairness there are going to be a number of houses built at Blythe Valley that will accommodate other age ranges,” he said.

Ben Malin, a council planning officer, confirmed that a quarter of the 750 homes set to be built nearby would be classed as affordable.

Planning firm Ridge, which had worked with Octopus on the application, argued that the home would allow local residents to remain “close to their friends and family”.

Earlier this year, Ashley Heath, from the company’s healthcare development team, said: “The potential for a care home in this area is huge – Blythe Valley benefits from feeling incredibly rural with the amount of green, open space.

“Yet at the same time, it’s also really well connected to Solihull and its surrounding suburbs.”

Although Hockley Heath Parish Council was concerned what impact the scheme may have on the local transport network, in particular the A34 through the village and nearby School Road.

The three-storey building will be built on a piece of land known as Parcel L – one of several separate sites which have been earmarked for development.

Proposals for these various different plots are being brought forward in stages, with this one the latest to be considered.

Read more: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/new-80-bed-development-now-16722701