More homes allowed on ‘landslide’ estate after council overruled

More homes will be built on a Cradley Heath estate hit by a landslide after winning approval from a government inspector.

Dunedin Homes, the developer behind a 53-home estate off Halesowen Road in Cradley Heath, was blocked from adding six more homes to the development by Sandwell Council last year.

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 developer appealed the decision to the government’s planning inspectors and was successful in its bid to get the decision overturned.

The government inspector David Kay disagreed with the council saying the six homes would not result in overlooking or a loss of privacy for future occupants or neighbours.

A report outlining the decision said: “I have found the proposal would not harm the character or appearance of the surrounding area, would not harm the privacy or outlook for occupants of adjacent properties, and would not harm the habitat or ecological value of the site of local importance to nature conservation (SLINC) or local nature reserve (LNR) as locally designated areas of nature conservation.”

The three-and-four-bed homes will be built on a patch of land previously used as a storage yard and haulage road during the construction of the wider estate – around 150 metres away from Haden Cross Drive where landslides spilled over a retaining wall leaving several residents blocked in. 

A total of 30 objections were made against the plans before Sandwell Council made a decision in 2025.

Rejecting the proposal, the council’s planners said the extra homes would have a “significant” impact on privacy and overlooking and would be “overly dominant and overbearing.” The council also said the plan’s layout was “cramped and poorly designed.”

The local authority added the application did not “adequately recognise” the nearby nature reserve, wildlife corridor or conservation sites.

The subsidence in nearby Haden Cross Drive was first seen 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.