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An attempt to build more homes on a new-build estate ‘cut off’ after landslides has been blocked by Sandwell Council.

Dunedin Homes, the developer behind the 53-home estate off Halesowen Road in Cradley Heath, wanted to add six more homes to the development on a patch of land previously used as a storage yard and haul road during the construction of the wider estate.

A total of 30 objections were made against the plans before Sandwell Council made a decision.

Rejecting the proposal, the council’s planners said: “The development would have a significant impact on privacy and overlooking of existing residential properties at lower land levels and would appear overly dominant and overbearing from the habitable rooms and gardens of these properties.

“The site layout would be cramped with poorly designed runs of parking to frontages and areas of communal bin stores.”

The local authority added that the application did not “adequately recognise” the nearby nature reserve, wildlife corridor or conservation sites. The estate, which was completed in 2020, has been plagued by issues, including several landslides that left a huge mound of earth blocking the road and cutting off a dozen homes.

The three-and-four-bed homes would have been built on a new cul-de-sac around 150 metres away from Haden Cross Drive where landslides spilled over a retaining wall and blocked the road and would have be accessed via Farmhouse Close on the edge of the estate.

A number of trees would also be chopped down to make way. The subsidence in nearby Haden Cross Drive was first seen nearly two years ago when a tree fell in the nearby woods.

Heavy rain and bad weather throughout the year came to a head in the run up to Christmas with a huge mound of earth leaving the road completely blocked. The tonnes of soil left the cul-de-sac ‘cut off’ and homeowners without access to their driveways.

A statement included with the application said: “The site is in a sustainable location and relates well to the wider context to the site and has been designed with the aim of creating a vibrant and inclusive community.

“The proposal creates a high-quality residential development, set within an attractive open space setting, that will deliver high quality place-making whilst providing much needed new homes.”