CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a crematorium in the green belt near to the Waseley Hills have been thrown out by Bromsgrove District Council’s planning committee.
The application was refused by six votes to one with two abstentions.
Members felt the proposals amounted to inappropriate development in the green belt and the very special circumstances were not met.
Coun Charles Hotham put forward an alternative motion to refuse the application on those grounds and the majority of members agreed with him.
Emotions ran high during the meeting. There were ten speakers and more than 80 people packed into the public gallery.
After more than an hour of debating, the result was declared leading to loud cheers from the majority of those gathered.
This application was the third submitted by H2 Land Ltd for the site off New Inns Lane.
The original application was thrown out as it did not have the ‘very special circumstances’ required to develop on green belt land, a further proposal was refused by the planning committee in September 2016 and an appeal was dismissed by the Planning Inspector in August.
Permission had previously been granted for a cemetery, chapel and maintenance building but residents said roads were not suitable to accommodate the crematorium and questioned the need for it as others were not running to their full capacity.
Rubery councillor Peter McDonald, said: “It’s good news and local democracy has worked for local people.
“We now hope the developers will go away and not come back again.”
Birmingham City Councillor Andy Cartwright said: “I’d like to thank all the residents who came tonight because it’s about them.
“Well done to all the speakers and thank you to the committee for making the right decision.”
Now after three applications for a crematorium, there should be a way of ensuring there were no more for that site, added Coun Cartwright.
