Dear Burntwood Residents and Supporters,

On 10 August 2026, we received official notification from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s Planning Casework Unit. The Secretary of State has formally declined to “call in” the speculative 250-home development at Coulter Lane Farm, stating she is satisfied that the application should be determined at a local level.

Let us be absolutely clear: This is NOT a setback. This is a vital procedural milestone that we welcome.

Why This is Good News for Burntwood

While the statutory 21-day referral window was active, LDC was legally paralysed and blocked from issuing a final decision. By passing the file back to the local authority, the Secretary of State has officially lifted this freeze.

LDC’s principal planning officers now hold full delegated authority to execute the democratic mandate of our Planning Committee. On 20 July 2026, our elected councillors voted by a decisive margin to be “minded to refuse” this unsustainable development. Now that the freeze is lifted, the council is legally cleared to formally stamp and issue the community’s hard-won local Refusal Notice.

What Happens Next? (The Inevitable Appeal)

As we have previously warned, volume house-builders do not walk away quietly. Bloor Homes has already verbally indicated that they intend to appeal LDC’s refusal to the Planning Inspectorate.

We are not waiting for them. Because we anticipated this step, we have already used this transitional period to build an unassailable legal and technical defense:

1. Our Barrister is Booked: We have accepted a formal Public Access fee quote and are in the process of instructing one of the country’s premier, Tier 1 Planning and Environment barristers—to represent our community.
2. We are Filing for “Rule 6” Standing: The moment Bloor Homes logs their appeal, the Burntwood Action Group will formally register as an independent Rule 6 Party. This legally elevates our campaign team to equal standing with the developer and the council, giving our barrister the right to submit our own expert witnesses, cross-examine Bloor’s consultants, and lead our community’s defense directly on the public inquiry floor.
3. The Evidence is Locked in: Our Strategic Policy Team has already finalised our Rule 6 Statement of Case, anchoring our defences to LDC’s newly signed precedents regarding road safety, ecological baseline data gaps, and “Grey Belt” disqualifications.

We want to thank all of our community for your continued, unwavering support. The battle is shifting from LDC’s committee rooms to the independent Planning Inspectorate, and we are entering this arena in a position of tactical dominance.

Stay tuned, keep your “SAVE OUR GREEN BELT” signs proud in your gardens, and let’s win this public inquiry together!

The Burntwood Action Group (BAG) Strategic Policy Team