Hilton Park Arena & Stables Hilton Park Essington Wolverhampton WV11 2BQ

1. 1.The proposed change of use of the site to a mixed commercial use (Use Classes B2, B8 and E(c)(iii)) together with the provision of HGV parking constitutes inappropriate development within the West Midlands Green Belt. By reason of the scale, intensity and nature of the proposed commercial operations and specifically the associated HGV parking areas, the development would result in harm to the openness of the Green Belt and would conflict with the purposes of including land within it. The development does not form an exception to inappropriate development, nor does it meet the criteria of Grey Belt Development due to no demonstrable unmet need being present for employment land within South Staffordshire and the unsustainable location of the site. No very special circumstances have been demonstrated which would outweigh the identified harm to the Green Belt and the conflict with the National Planning Policy Framework (paragraphs 153-155) and Policy GB1 of the Adopted Core Strategy.
2. 2.The proposed development would introduce general industrial, storage/distribution and commercial uses, together with HGV parking, in an isolated rural location outside any defined settlement boundary and within the Green Belt. The proposal fails to satisfy the criteria for rural diversification set out under Policy EV5 of the Adopted Core Strategy, as it has not been demonstrated that: a. the site is of a small scale; b. there are no more appropriate sites within development boundaries; c. the proposal is supported by a robust business case; or d. the site is accessible by a variety of sustainable transport modes. The proposal therefore represents unsustainable development in an inappropriate location, contrary to Policies EV5 and Core Policy 7 of the Adopted Core Strategy and Chapter 6 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
3. 3.The proposed development, by reason of the increased HGV movements generated and the limitations of the local highway network, would have an unacceptable impact on highway safety. Hilton Lane is of restricted width with no designated passing places and is subject to a 7.5 tonne weight restriction. The junction of Hilton Lane with Warstone Road has substandard visibility, resulting in conflict between vehicles, particularly slow-moving HGVs. Furthermore, there are no safe pedestrian routes or segregated facilities linking the site to nearby settlements or bus stops, contrary to the principles of sustainable development. The development is therefore contrary to Paragraphs 115 and 116 of the National Planning Policy Framework and Policies EV11, EV12 and Core Policy 11 of the Adopted Core Strategy.
4. 4.The submitted Transport Statement fails to provide robust or verifiable evidence regarding existing and proposed vehicle movements associated with the site, including those generated by the proposed B2, B8 and E(c)(iii) uses and the HGV parking area. The absence of substantiated trip generation data and conflict with previous application details prevents a full assessment of the likely impact of the development on the surrounding highway network. Accordingly, the proposal fails to demonstrate that the development would not result in an unacceptable impact on highway safety, contrary to Paragraph 116 of the National Planning Policy Framework and Policy EV11 of the Adopted Core Strategy.
5. 5.By reason of the lack of information submitted and the observations made by the County Highways Officer, the development cannot achieve adequate visibility splays from the existing access in accordance with a 60mph carriageway of 2.4m x 215m. Although a speed survey was carried out, the location of this speed survey has not been provided and as such it cannot be demonstrated that the results of the survey are accurate to confirm speeds within the 85th percentile are correct. Given the change to the use of the site, there would be an increased trip generation to the site and as such the existing access would not be able to accommodate the increased traffic given the lack of visibility. In addition to this, the submitted visibility splays do not correctly plot the location of the tree line along Hilton Lane, which would conflict with the visibility splays detailed. The development therefore cannot achieve safe and adequate access into the site in accordance with Paragraph 116 of the National Planning Policy Framework and Core Policy 11 and Policy EV5 of the Adopted Core Strategy.

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

WV11 2BQ

Application type

Major Change of Use Application

Scale / size

Medium

Parish

HILTON

Date validated

12 February 2026

Consultation expiry

1 April 2026

Consultation start

27 February 2026

Consultation end

23 March 2026

Neighbour consultation start

27 February 2026

Last date for comments

1 April 2026

Target decision date

14 May 2026

Agent

Roger Parry & Partners LLP

Agent address

Roger Parry & Partners LLP Mercian House 9 - 10 Darwin Court Oxon Business Park Shrewsbury SY3 5AL

Statutory period

91 days

Last advertised

11 March 2026

Advertisement expiry

1 April 2026

Site notice start

2 March 2026

Site notice end

23 March 2026

Planning Portal ID

PP-14697620

Documents

24

Constraints

10