Land Valuation and Development Opportunities For Sites in Solihull
A planning-led assessment of land value, development potential and the most appropriate promotion route
Strategic Land Company assesses land throughout Solihull Metropolitan Borough to establish its current planning position, realistic development capacity, principal constraints, likely promotion route and potential commercial value.
Our review can cover urban and brownfield land, settlement-edge sites, agricultural land, paddocks, former commercial premises and larger strategic opportunities. Where a site presents a credible residential opportunity, we can agree a Promotion Agreement, fund and manage the planning and technical work at our own cost and risk, and prepare the land for competitive marketing after an acceptable planning outcome is secured.
Planning-led valuation
Land Valuation in Solihull is More Than a Price Per Acre
A meaningful assessment of land in Solihull must begin with its planning position and location within the borough. Two sites of the same size can have very different values because one may be previously developed land within the urban area, another may form a logical extension to a rural town, and a third may be constrained by Green Belt policy, airport safeguarding, landscape sensitivity, infrastructure or the need for adjoining land.
We consider the land’s present use and value, but our principal focus is the opportunity that could be created through planning. That means testing the likely development capacity, the amount of land that would remain developable after roads, drainage, open space, biodiversity and other requirements, the probable planning route, the cost and duration of promotion and the price a credible purchaser may be prepared to pay after an acceptable planning outcome.
The assessment is intended for landowners considering residential development, land promotion or a future sale. It can cover agricultural land, paddocks, equestrian land, gardens and grounds, yards, former industrial or commercial premises, institutional land and larger strategic sites. We do not assume that every parcel is suitable. The purpose of the review is to distinguish a genuine opportunity from land where the constraints, timing or commercial risk make promotion unrealistic.
What the Free Land Assessment provides
An initial view on the current and emerging planning framework, the site’s relationship with Solihull’s urban area or rural settlements, broad constraints, potential development capacity, likely promotion route and whether the opportunity justifies more detailed investigation. Where the site appears suitable for promotion, we explain how Strategic Land Company may be able to fund and manage the next stages.
Current planning position
Solihull Local Plan Position at August 2026
The policy position is live and should be read as a dated snapshot rather than a permanent conclusion.
Planning position reviewed
Adopted development plan
The Solihull Local Plan adopted in December 2013 remains the principal borough-wide plan. The development plan also includes the Gypsy and Traveller Site Allocations Plan and made neighbourhood plans in several rural areas.
Previous review withdrawn
The Draft Submission Plan published in 2020 was withdrawn from examination in October 2024. Its proposed allocations are therefore not adopted allocations, although relevant evidence and subsequent planning decisions may still be material.
New plan period
The Council commenced a new Local Plan in November 2025, intended to cover 2026 to 2043. An Issues and Options consultation ran from 30 January to 16 March 2026.
Updated evidence
An updated Green Belt Assessment and Green Belt Village Study were published in July 2026. Further evidence is expected alongside the next draft of the plan.
Call for Sites
The Call for Sites ran from 29 November 2024 to 31 January 2025 and generated more than 300 suggested sites. It was an availability exercise and did not establish that any submitted site is suitable for development.
Next formal stage
The Council expects to publish a Regulation 19 Draft Submission Plan in autumn 2026. Its July 2026 timetable then aims for submission by the end of December 2026, examination hearings in spring 2027 and adoption in autumn 2027.
Landowner partnership
Why work with us?
We fully fund and manage the planning process on your behalf.
We take on all the risk. If we are unsuccessful in securing planning permission, all costs are written off and it won't cost you a penny.
Our interests are fully aligned with yours. As we are paid on a pre-agreed percentage of the sale proceeds, it is in our own interests to maximise the value of your land.
Our experienced team of experts will give you the best possible chance of securing planning permission.
You retain full ownership and control of your land throughout the planning process.
We will always listen to your needs and will keep you fully updated throughout the whole process.
Opportunity types
Where Development Opportunities Can Arise in Solihull
Solihull contains a major urban area, established town centres, the UK Central economic hub, rural towns, smaller settlements and extensive Green Belt. The appropriate valuation and promotion strategy depends on the site’s actual relationship with those places rather than the Solihull name alone.
Brownfield and underused urban land
Former commercial premises, yards, depots, vacant buildings, car parks and other previously developed sites within Solihull, Shirley, Olton, Chelmsley Wood and the wider urban area may support residential or mixed-use redevelopment. The appraisal must allow for demolition, contamination, noise, existing occupiers, employment-land policy, neighbouring uses and the practical ability to create an acceptable living environment.
Town-centre and regeneration opportunities
Solihull town centre, Mell Square and regeneration programmes in North Solihull illustrate the potential for higher-density homes and mixed-use development in accessible locations. A smaller parcel may have value as part of a wider regeneration project, but land assembly, phasing, existing rights, public-realm requirements and the timing of adjoining development can be decisive.
UK Central and Arden Cross
The area around Birmingham Airport, the NEC, Birmingham Business Park, Jaguar Land Rover and the planned HS2 Interchange has exceptional strategic connectivity and a significant employment role. Opportunities must be assessed within the UK Central and Arden Cross framework, including appropriate land use, airport and transport safeguards, comprehensive development, infrastructure and the risk of prejudicing a larger scheme.
Rural towns and sustainable settlement edges
Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath, together with Balsall Common, are identified in the Council’s current evidence as rural towns. Settlement-edge land may warrant assessment where it is well related to services, capable of suitable access and capable of contributing to a coherent development pattern. Green Belt, landscape, infrastructure and neighbourhood-plan policies remain central to the appraisal.
Smaller rural settlements
Dickens Heath, Hockley Heath, Meriden, Hampton-in-Arden, Tidbury Green, Cheswick Green, Bickenhill and other smaller settlements have different levels of services, accessibility and environmental sensitivity. The existence of nearby housing does not establish that adjoining land is suitable. Settlement identity, vulnerable gaps, local facilities, highway conditions and cumulative growth must all be tested.
Previously promoted, assessed or refused land
A site may have appeared in the withdrawn 2020 plan, the recent Call for Sites, an earlier land-availability assessment or a refused planning application. Those outcomes are important evidence but not necessarily the final position. We examine what has changed, whether the previous concerns can be addressed and whether a revised boundary, technical case or different planning route is justified.
Urban and strategic locations
Solihull is One Borough with Distinct Development Markets
The urban part of the borough includes established residential areas, town-centre land, major employment locations and regeneration opportunities adjoining Birmingham. Values can be strong, but urban sites may carry high existing-use values, fragmented ownership, demolition and remediation costs, noise, access limitations or the need to protect active employment and commercial functions.
Land within or near the UK Central Hub requires a different analysis again. Strategic infrastructure and accessibility can create opportunity, but the relevant planning objective may be employment-led, mixed-use or dependent on comprehensive development rather than a standalone housing scheme.
Rural towns and villages
Settlement Relationship, Green Belt and Local Identity
In the rural part of Solihull, value is closely connected to the settlement hierarchy, the adopted Green Belt boundary, the function of gaps between settlements, the availability of services and the ability to deliver infrastructure without harming local character.
A postal address, estate-agent description or proximity to a sought-after settlement does not settle the planning case. We check the borough boundary, the relevant neighbourhood-plan area, the site’s physical relationship with the settlement and whether development would form a logical, defensible and deliverable extension.
Local development plan
Neighbourhood Plans Matter in Parts of Solihull
Made neighbourhood plans form part of the statutory development plan and must be considered when land falls within their areas. Solihull currently identifies made plans for Hampton-in-Arden, Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath, Berkswell, Balsall and Meriden. They sit alongside the borough-wide Local Plan rather than replacing it.
Neighbourhood policies can influence the site-specific appraisal through requirements relating to local character, design, settlement identity, local green space, important views, walking and cycling connections, housing mix, heritage and community infrastructure. A site that appears acceptable against a broad borough-wide policy may still require a detailed response to the neighbourhood evidence.
Neighbourhood plans do not determine the borough’s entire strategic housing requirement or remove the need for the Council to prepare a new Local Plan. They can, however, affect the form of a scheme, the evidence required and the likelihood that a proposal will be regarded as a coherent addition to the settlement. Those matters can alter net developable area, programme, risk and therefore land value.
Start with the correct policy map
For each site we establish whether a neighbourhood plan applies, which policies and designations affect the land and whether any emerging review or local evidence should be considered. This prevents a valuation being based only on the general Solihull market while overlooking the policies that apply to the particular parcel.
Emerging strategy
How Solihull’s Emerging Local Plan Affects Land Valuation
Planning status changes the level of certainty a purchaser can attach to the land. The current plan-making stage creates opportunity, but it also requires careful distinction between evidence, consultation proposals and adopted policy.
The withdrawal of the 2020 Draft Submission Plan means its proposed site allocations did not become part of the adopted development plan. A landowner should not market a former draft allocation as though it has an adopted residential allocation. However, the technical evidence prepared for that process, any later planning permission and the reasons a site was supported or rejected may remain relevant to the new assessment.
The new plan is currently moving from Issues and Options towards a Draft Submission Plan. The Council has received more than 300 Call for Sites suggestions and is updating its evidence base. At this stage, a credible promotion case should do more than point to ownership and availability. It should explain the site’s relationship with the settlement strategy, access, realistic capacity, Green Belt and landscape effects, infrastructure, deliverability and the comparative advantages of the land.
The Regulation 19 stage expected in autumn 2026 will focus on whether the Council’s proposed plan is legally compliant and sound. Where a site is omitted, discounted or materially affected by a proposed policy, representations should address the actual evidence and the relevant tests rather than repeat a generic request for allocation.
Published housing-land-supply evidence is a dated snapshot
The detailed five-year supply schedule currently linked from the Council’s policy pages is based on a 1 April 2024 position and recorded 2.13 years of supply. That is important published evidence, but it is not a permanent figure. Permissions, completions, appeals, delivery assumptions and changes to national policy can alter the position, so we verify the evidence being applied when a site is assessed or an application is prepared.
Strategic connectivity
Rail, HS2, Birmingham Airport and Development Potential
Solihull’s connectivity is a major economic strength, but the same transport assets can create constraints as well as opportunity. The effect on value must be tested at site level.
Accessibility can support development
Land near established rail stations, town centres, high-frequency public transport and the UK Central Hub may benefit from reduced car dependency, stronger market demand and the ability to support an efficient development pattern. The future HS2 Interchange and Arden Cross proposals also create a strategic context for investment, employment and mixed-use growth.
Current national and local policy must nevertheless be applied to the actual site. A simple radius around a station is not enough. The walking route, service level, severance, land use, density, design, infrastructure and relationship with adjoining development all matter.
Safeguarding and infrastructure can reduce capacity
Sites near Birmingham Airport, the NEC, railway infrastructure, HS2 works, the M42 or the A45 may be affected by noise, air quality, height restrictions, public-safety considerations, easements, major junctions, land assembly and construction or operational safeguards. Those matters may limit residential suitability or require a different mix of uses.
A planning-led valuation therefore distinguishes strategic accessibility from net developable capacity. The presence of major infrastructure can increase demand while also creating land take, mitigation costs and programme risk.
Questions we test for a well-connected location
Is there a safe and realistic walking, cycling or public-transport connection?
Does the proposed use support the strategic role of the location?
Are airport, rail, highway or utility safeguards capable of being accommodated?
Would a standalone scheme prejudice comprehensive development?
What density and net developable area are realistic?
Which transport improvements or financial contributions are likely?
Policy and landscape
Green Belt, Grey Belt and Village Setting in Solihull
Around two-thirds of the borough is Green Belt. Its effect on planning probability, programme and value is therefore fundamental to many Solihull land assessments.
Confirm the adopted designation
We establish whether the land is within the adopted Green Belt, previously developed, affected by an emerging proposal or outside the designation altogether. An evidence document or draft policy must not be treated as though it has already changed the adopted boundary.
Use the July 2026 assessment correctly
The updated Green Belt Assessment and Village Study inform the emerging Local Plan. The Council has expressly stated that the assessment is not policy and that identification of potential grey belt does not mean an area is suitable or will be released for development.
Test the parcel, not only the wider area
A larger assessment parcel may contain land with different characteristics. We examine the actual red-line area, its Green Belt contribution, boundaries, relationship with existing development, accessibility and whether a defensible long-term edge could be created.
Protect settlement identity
Gaps between rural settlements can be important to their separate identity and character. Coalescence, ribbon development, views and landscape structure may therefore be material even where the land is physically close to housing.
Allow for national policy requirements
Where current national policy provides a potential Green Belt or grey belt route, the scheme must still satisfy the detailed tests and any applicable affordable-housing, infrastructure, design and environmental expectations. Those obligations can materially affect residual land value.
Consider the plan-making route
Some Green Belt land may require strategic release through the Local Plan rather than a near-term application. The valuation should reflect the evidence, timescale, comparative site assessment, infrastructure and risk associated with that route.
A favourable high-level Green Belt or grey belt conclusion is not a planning permission and does not establish a guaranteed development value. The appraisal must reflect the probability of success, the likely timescale, the developable area and the obligations that would apply if development proceeds.
Deliverability
Solihull Infrastructure and Technical Factors That Affect Land Value
Planning potential only creates value where a scheme can be delivered. Strategic transport, local roads, drainage, utilities, community facilities and environmental mitigation can all reduce net acreage or create substantial deductions from a purchaser’s bid.
Access and highway capacity
A safe access is the first test, but larger sites may also require junction improvements, traffic mitigation, bus measures, walking and cycling routes or contributions to the wider network. The M42, A45 and other strategic roads improve connectivity while also creating noise, severance and capacity issues that must be addressed.
Balsall Common transport infrastructure
The Council has adopted a position statement on the Balsall Common multi-modal package, including the relief road. For land in and around the settlement, the relationship with the proposed route, access strategy, delivery stage and contribution mechanism can materially affect timing, developable area and value.
Airport, rail and HS2 safeguards
Noise contours, height and lighting restrictions, public-safety considerations, railway boundaries, construction interfaces and protected infrastructure may influence the acceptable use and form of development. Early screening helps avoid valuing land on a residential capacity that cannot be achieved.
Flood risk, drainage and utilities
Surface-water management, watercourses, attenuation, easements, pumping requirements, sewer capacity and utility reinforcement can require significant land and expenditure. The gross site area should not be valued as though every acre can contain saleable housing.
Schools, healthcare, open space and sport
Significant growth may require school places, healthcare capacity, public open space, play provision, sports facilities and sustainable-transport measures. Solihull’s evidence has considered new facilities around major growth locations. The scale, timing and funding of those requirements must be included in the commercial appraisal.
Landscape, ecology, heritage and biodiversity
Ancient woodland, local wildlife sites, protected species, mature trees and hedgerows, historic assets, village settings and biodiversity net gain can shape the masterplan. These features may support place-making, but they can also reduce net capacity and create survey, mitigation and long-term management costs.
Our appraisal method
How We Assess a Solihull Development Opportunity
Our initial review is proportionate. We do not ask a landowner to commission a complete planning file before we have established whether the opportunity justifies further work. The first assessment normally brings together the following questions.
Is the land within Solihull Metropolitan Borough and which development-plan documents apply?
How does the site relate to the urban area, a rural town, a smaller settlement or the UK Central Hub?
Is the land in the Green Belt, identified in the July 2026 evidence or affected by a neighbourhood plan?
What has the Call for Sites, withdrawn 2020 plan, land-availability evidence or planning history said about it?
Can a safe, suitable and controllable access be achieved?
What gross and net residential capacity may be realistic after infrastructure and environmental land take?
Which flood, drainage, ecology, landscape, heritage, noise, airport or ground constraints require evidence?
What schools, transport, open-space, affordable-housing and other planning obligations may apply?
Which planning route, programme and level of promotion expenditure are proportionate?
Would the likely net land receipt justify the cost and risk of promotion?
Is there a credible purchaser market after the planning objective is achieved?
The outcome is not a guaranteed planning result or a fixed sale price. It is a reasoned view on whether the land presents a credible opportunity, what must happen before value can be realised and whether Strategic Land Company should consider investing in its promotion.
Value creation
How the Planning Position Can Change Land Value
Development value is normally created through a sequence of evidence, policy and planning milestones. Not every site reaches every stage, and the increase in value is not automatic.
Existing-use positionThe land is valued by reference to its lawful use, occupation, income and current market without assuming residential planning permission.
Evidence of potentialAccess work, capacity testing, planning research and technical screening may establish that the land is capable of further consideration.
Local Plan or evidence progressA favourable site assessment, consultation proposal or recognised role in a wider growth area can improve planning confidence while remaining short of an adopted allocation.
Planning applicationA properly evidenced application defines the proposed development, infrastructure and obligations but still carries determination, condition and appeal risk.
Acceptable planning permissionPermission can create substantial value where the scheme is technically deliverable and the conditions, affordable housing and obligations remain commercially viable.
Competitive market saleThe final land receipt is tested through bids from suitable purchasers, taking account of deductions, conditionality, funding, programme and transaction risk.
From assessment to delivery
Potential Promotion Routes for Solihull Land
The best route depends on the policy stage, the evidence already available and the reason the land has not yet progressed.
Local Plan and evidence promotion
We can coordinate site evidence and prepare consultation representations where the current plan-making process provides a proper opportunity to advance the land. The case must respond to the emerging strategy, comparative site evidence and any stated reason for omission or rejection.
Outline planning application
Where the adopted and national policy position supports an application, we can appoint the design and technical team, define the development parameters and manage pre-application work, submission, negotiation and any planning obligations.
Revision, resubmission or appeal
If a site has been refused, discounted or constrained by an earlier proposal, we examine the reasons before deciding whether new evidence, a revised scheme, continued plan promotion or a planning appeal is justified.
We fund and manage the planning process
Where a Promotion Agreement is completed, Strategic Land Company normally funds the agreed planning and technical work at its own cost and risk. We select and appoint the appropriate consultants, prepare their briefs, coordinate the evidence, manage the programme and report to the landowner. If an acceptable planning outcome is secured, the land is normally offered to the market competitively in accordance with the agreement.
Own Land in Solihull?
Whether your land is agricultural, a paddock, garden land, a yard, former commercial premises, an underused urban site or part of a larger strategic opportunity, an initial review can help establish whether it presents a realistic residential development or land-promotion opportunity.
We consider the site’s relationship with Solihull’s urban area, rural towns and smaller settlements, the adopted and emerging Local Plan, Green Belt and grey belt evidence, neighbourhood-plan policies, access, broad technical constraints, likely development capacity, infrastructure requirements and the most appropriate promotion route.
Simply send us the location and approximate boundary to begin. You do not need planning permission, technical reports or a complete planning file before contacting us. Previous Call for Sites submissions, Local Plan material, planning decisions or developer approaches are helpful where available, but missing information does not prevent an initial assessment.
Where the opportunity appears suitable, we will explain the recommended next steps and whether Strategic Land Company may be able to fund and manage the planning and technical process through a Promotion Agreement.
A first review can normally begin with straightforward information. Missing documents do not prevent an initial conversation.
The postcode, what3words reference, map pin or nearest address.
An approximate boundary shown on a plan, title plan or aerial image.
The approximate acreage and current use of the land.
The names of the owners and any known tenancy or occupation.
Information about existing or possible access points.
Any Call for Sites, Local Plan, Green Belt assessment or planning application history.
Any surveys, reports, council correspondence or developer approaches.
Your objectives, timing and any part of the land you intend to retain.
Important: the Free Land Assessment is an initial planning and commercial appraisal. It is not a formal RICS Red Book valuation and should not be used for secured lending, taxation, probate, matrimonial proceedings, litigation or financial reporting.
Official planning sources
Solihull Policy and Evidence Used for This Page
Planning policy, evidence and consultation stages change. The following official sources should be checked before relying on a dated planning position:
Content reviewed on . A site-specific assessment will use the policy and evidence in force when the land is reviewed.
Landowner questions
Solihull Land Valuation Questions
How do you assess the value of land in Solihull?
We assess the land’s existing use, planning status, relationship with the urban area or a rural settlement, likely development capacity, access, Green Belt position, technical constraints, infrastructure requirements, planning obligations, abnormal costs, programme, risk and likely purchaser demand. The result is a planning-led commercial assessment rather than a simple price-per-acre calculation.
What is included in the Free Land Assessment?
The initial assessment considers the site location, relevant planning authority, current and emerging policy, Call for Sites or planning history, broad constraints, likely development opportunity and the most appropriate next step. We then explain whether the land appears suitable for further investigation or promotion.
Does Solihull’s emerging Local Plan create an opportunity for my land?
It may. The Issues and Options consultation closed in March 2026 and the Council expects to publish its Draft Submission Plan in autumn 2026. We consider whether the site should be supported by further evidence, addressed through the next consultation, pursued through a planning application or retained within a longer-term promotion strategy.
What does the July 2026 Green Belt Assessment mean for my site?
The assessment is an evidence document for the emerging Local Plan. It is not adopted policy, a site allocation or a planning permission. Identification of potential grey belt does not establish that a parcel is suitable for development. The site must still be tested against settlement relationships, access, landscape, infrastructure, national policy and the wider plan strategy.
Can land that was not submitted in Solihull’s 2024 Call for Sites still be considered?
The Call for Sites window has closed, so a late submission cannot be assumed to enter the same assessment programme. However, the correct route depends on the circumstances. A site may still warrant evidence for a future consultation, a later land-availability exercise, a planning application or a longer-term promotion strategy. We identify the realistic procedural route before recommending expenditure.
Do neighbourhood plans affect land valuation in Solihull?
Yes. Made neighbourhood plans form part of the development plan in areas including Hampton-in-Arden, Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath, Berkswell, Balsall and Meriden. Their policies can affect settlement character, design, local green space, access and other site-specific matters, so they must be read alongside the Solihull Local Plan and national policy.
Can land near Birmingham Airport, the NEC or the HS2 Interchange be considered for housing?
It can be assessed, but strategic connectivity does not automatically make residential development suitable. Airport safeguarding and noise, existing employment functions, transport infrastructure, land assembly, access, design and the role of UK Central and Arden Cross may all affect the appropriate use, scale and timing of development.
Who pays the planning and consultant costs if Strategic Land Company promotes the site?
Where we enter into a Promotion Agreement, Strategic Land Company normally funds the agreed planning and technical work at its own cost and risk, subject to the terms of the agreement. We appoint and manage the consultant team so the landowner does not have to run a multidisciplinary planning project.
Is the Free Land Assessment a formal RICS Red Book valuation?
No. It is an initial planning and commercial assessment of development potential. It is not a formal RICS Red Book valuation for lending, taxation, probate, matrimonial proceedings, litigation or financial reporting. A suitably qualified valuer should be instructed where a formal valuation is required.
Further landowner information
Planning and Land Promotion Guides
These guides explain how we assess development opportunities, fund and manage the planning work, protect the landowner’s position and prepare promoted land for an open-market sale.
