South StaffordshireUnspoilt by Progress

Welcome 3

Place 4 Housing developments 6 Business and growth 8 Local infastructure 10 Open space 12

People 14 Skills and employment 15 Health 18 Wellbeing 20

Contents

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Strawberry Lane Cemetery

Hilton Main Business Park

Front cover images: Engine Manufacturing Plant at JLR i54 South Staffordshire, Oakwood Gardens in Wombourne, JLR i54 South Staffordshire, Himley Hall, Weston Park. Main Picture: Baggeridge Country Park.

Kinver Edge

A story of our placeWelcome to South StaffordshireSouth Staffordshire is a place where people choose to live. They do so because of its attractive villages, countryside and open spaces and because it’s a safe place to bring up a family or retire to - a place where being involved with your community adds to a feeling of wellbeing.

The district has remained relatively unspoilt by progress but has nevertheless experienced great improvements. Over the last 10 years we’ve seen the development of the i54 South Staffordshire site, which is home to major international employers, and some of our larger villages have experienced housing growth, welcoming new families into the district.

To help us shape our vision for the future we have started a conversation with our communities about what is important to them, what they love about South Staffordshire and what they would like to change.

In the last 12 months, the Council has attended over 60 community events across the district. We have engaged with our partners and have attended andheld events with local businesses, our

Members and parishes. Following this, we have gone back to our communities through our annual residents survey to make sure that we have captured their views.

Over the next 10 years, we aim to build on our strong foundations and continue to be a place where our residents are proud to live. We will be a district where people want to come to work. We will be recognised for our economic contribution to regional growth, a district to invest in, and a place where businesses can start, grow and prosper. We will continue to look beyond our organisational and district boundaries, working in partnership with the private sector, other public bodies and the voluntary and community sector, to address local priorities.

We will be proactively managing this change so that South Staffordshire remains vibrant for those who live, work and visit the district.

Councillor Brian Edwards MBELeader of South Staffordshire CouncilJanuary 2020

3Shoal Hill Common

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South Staffordshire

Locality 1 includes:• Penkridge West

• Penkridge South East

• Penkridge North East and Acton Trussell

• Huntington and Hatherton

Locality 2 includes:• Brewood and Coven

• Wheaton Aston, Bishops Wood and Lapley

Locality 3 includes:• Cheslyn Hay North and

Saredon

• Cheslyn Hay South

• Essington

• Featherstone and Shareshill

• Great Wyrley Landywood

• Great Wyrley Town

Locality 4 includes:• Bilbrook

• Codsall North

• Codsall South

• Pattingham and Patshull

• Perton Dippons

• Perton East

• Perton Lakeside

Locality 5 includes:• Himley and Swindon

• Kinver

• Trysull and Seisdon

• Wombourne North and Lower Penn

• Wombourne South East

• Wombourne South West

Huntington and

Hatherton

PenkridgeNorth East

andActon Trussell

PenkridgeSouth East

AB

C

Essington

Featherstoneand

Shareshill

Cheslyn Hay North and

Saredon

PenkridgeWest

Wheaton Aston,Bishops Wood

and Lapley

Brewood andCoven

Codsall North

Codsall South

Bilbrook

Pattingham andPatshull D

PertonDippons

Wombourne North and

Lower Penn

E

FG

Himley and Swindon

Trysull andSeisdon

Kinver

A B C DEFG

KEY

Cheslyn Hay SouthGreat Wyrley TownGreat Wyrley LandywoodPerton LakesidePerton EastWombourne South WestWombourne South East

South Staffordshire is a predominantly rural district bordering the western edge of the West Midlands Conurbation, Shropshire, Worcestershire and neighbouring Staffordshire authorities. The map shows how the district is made up of 5 localities which include a total of 27 parishes and 25 wards.

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Place

The district enjoys beautiful countryside and has a rich legacy of conservation areas with many historic buildings and landscapes. Without question, South Staffordshire has seen changes to its physical environment over the last 10 years. Much has been achieved and the district is shaping up to meet the needs of local people and businesses whilst retaining its unique character.

Some of this change has meant seeing new homes and new employment opportunities being built on land around its villages. However, the need for housing and jobs is not just a local issue but a national one too.

Weston Park

Kinver Rock Houses Brewood Moseley Old Hall

Housing developmentsSouth Staffordshire is known for its collection of villages all with their own distinctive character. Balancing the need for new homes and jobs with protecting the Green Belt, and protecting the district’s landscapes and character over the last 10 years has not been without its challenges.

In recent years, the planning landscape has changed from one where the Council was resisting development in the district to one where it is helping the renaissance of the Black Country, helping achieve the Government’s aim of significantly increasing the number of homes built right across the country. It’s a big leap and there have been difficult decisions to make in protecting the Green Belt and the environment with meeting the needs of local people.

Planning ahead...• South Staffordshire has a higher number

of older people than the national average and needs to plan accordingly. Nine specialist and sheltered schemes have come forward including state of the art facilities at Pencric in Penkridge, which provided 82 self-contained apartments with a vibrant community hub including restaurant, leisure facilities, roof top terrace and community room. There have been other schemes, both market and sheltered accommodation, in Bilbrook, Kinver, Wombourne, Penkridge, and Essington providing 334 specialist units in total. There is an appetite for bungalows and adaptable homes to meet the ageing population’s needs and the Council has worked hard to bring these forward when new schemes are being developed.

• Due to a change in Government policy in 2004, much of the housing development over the last 10 years has been ad hoc - the result of planning applications, appeals and windfalls, rather than being plan led. This is a real concern and the Council believes the best way to involve communities, assess infrastructure needs and plan well for the future of South Staffordshire is through a robust Local Plan, which has gone through the full consultation process.

6Dodds Field, Pattingham Holly Close, Bilbrook

Swallow Place, Penkridge

For communities to remain vibrant and for local people to have the opportunity to live and work in the district, there is a need for homes and jobs. Despite the new developments that have taken place, Green Belt loss has been kept to a minimum, with less than 1% being used for new homes or employment land. Overall, only 7% of South Staffordshire is built on, with by far the greatest use of land being farmland.

The district has much to be proud of. Key housing developments have taken place in Huntington, Great Wyrley, Penkridge and Codsall. In the last 10 years, 2,473 homes have been built in the district with a further 1,688 in the pipeline. Of these completed homes, 728 are affordable and

a minimum of 513 additional affordable homes are expected to come from current housing permissions, split between social rent and shared ownership.

The district also has a great track record of providing both social rent and shared ownership homes, including three rural exceptions sites at Swindon, Pattingham and Huntington, which have delivered 55 affordable homes in perpetuity. These homes give local people a real chance to stay in the villages in which they grew up. Supporting people to stay close to their families in this way helps sustain the villages and helps them to share care for young children or elderly parents without the need to travel.

The review of the Local Plan, which is currently underway, is very much Member led, listening to the concerns of local people about the impact of development on local services and facilities, infrastructure such as roads, schools, access to health care and the availability of open spaces for leisure and recreation, which is vital to wellbeing.

Figures suggest that South Staffordshire has a high level of car ownership compared to the national average, with 87% of households owning at least one car. High car ownership brings with it the difficulties of congestion on the roads and lack of parking. However, this also indicates that 13% of households don’t have access to a car (this figure has remained consistent over the past 10 years). The voluntary and community sector provides transport and car schemes for residents without access to vehicles or for older residents to access health care provision. However, as the ageing population increases, a challenge to the voluntary and community sector will be to create more voluntary car schemes for people to access a wide variety of services.

Changes to the way people shop nationally have also had an impact on local shops and services. The move towards online shopping and digital working has meant the loss of many local post offices and banks. This trend cannot be reversed but help is being given to local people to adapt to these changes and make sure they have access to high-speed broadband across the district, together with Council and local library initiatives such as the IT Buddies advice sessions.

7Himley Place, Swindon

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In the last decade, the flagship i54 South Staffordshire development has come forward with Jaguar Land Rover’s advanced engine facility. Moog, ISP and Eurofins are also onsite along with other multi-national companies and this means i54 South Staffordshire is recognised as a nationally significant employment site that has seen around 2,700 jobs created so far.

The success of the site is reflected in its fast take up resulting in only six hectares of employment land remaining on the original site. Work has started on a western extension to the site that will see further expansion of 24 hectares, bringing increased inward investment to the district.

The Council’s high quality employment land portfolio also includes sites at Hilton Cross and Four Ashes, where Gestamp has recently relocated. ROF Featherstone has been identified for future expansion and plans are in train for a new road to serve the site and the Council is exploring the development of a new park and ride facility as part of the Local Plan review.

However, South Staffordshire is not just about the big names. The district has a predominance of micro, small and medium-

sized businesses too. Dunston Business Village is one notable success, which has seen the successful conversion of former farm buildings into an office development that is the home to over 30 businesses. Community builds such as Littleton Community School, extensions to South Staffordshire College, Codsall Medical Centre and Pharmacy along with Brewood Medical Centre, underline a commitment to improve the economy of the area.

Supporting local business and encouraging inward investment has helped a number of South Staffordshire businesses to flourish. A new restaurant at Dunsley Hall Hotel, a new hotel at Gailey and a visitor centre and coffee shop at Cannock Chase Trekking Centre have all improved the tourism offer.

Business and growth Planning ahead...• The Council plans to invest in its headquarters,

centrally located in Codsall, one of the largest settlements in the district. Expanding the site into a new community hub with a full refurbishment and new build will see specialist teams from across the public, health, private and voluntary sectors co-located together. This in turn will lead to improved service integration for those supporting the district’s most vulnerable residents, helping improve outcomes and improving efficiencies.

• The Codsall Community Hub will see the introduction of a GP surgery, NHS community outreach teams, and increased police presence, all helping reduce taxpayer spend on the wider estate by condensing multiple buildings into one. Space will be available for local businesses, including retail and offices, through the South Staffordshire Business Hub, creating an environment for local business to grow.

• Residents will benefit with access to public services on one site, in a modern environment with good transport links into both the local settlements and wider conurbation. Fundamentally, investment in the Council’s building will secure its long-term future and staff will work in a modern agile collaborative environment. For the South Staffordshire community, the Codsall Community Hub will be a place to socialise, learn, work, enjoy, dine, shop and access services.

Codsall Community Hub

i54 South Staffordshire

99MOOG eurofins Jaguar Land Rover

10 M54

Rail through South Staffordshire

Motorways

A5

Local infrastructureThe north and north-east of the district are well served by the major strategic highway network having the M6, M54 and M6 Toll running through it as well as the A5, A449 and A460 as trunk roads.

This part of the district has become a real focus for growth in the wider sub-region, which has brought significant benefits to the area with thousands of new jobs being created at four key strategic employment sites in the area. However, this in turn has placed a major strain on the local infrastructure such as congestion, doctors appointments, school places and parking spaces. Both residents and Councillors alike have highlighted this as a major concern for the Council and its partners to focus on in the future.

Conversely, the south and north-west of the district have a more rural feel with a more limited and local road network and poorer public transport networks, meaning access to

the conurbation and larger villages is a major issue along with rural isolation for many. The district has four train stations - Penkridge on the West Coast Mainline, Landywood on the recently electrified Chaseline, and Codsall and Bilbrook on the Wolverhampton - Shrewsbury line. However, the majority of the district does not have access to rail services or other forms of regular public transport.

Growth is not without its challenges to both our valued Green Belt and to existing infrastructure. Managing the conflict between the positive and negatives sides to growth will be one of the key challenges for the Council to negotiate in the future. However, our population continues to grow and residents’ needs are changing all the time. Recognising what is needed and how we can plan positively for the changes to come will be challenging but worthwhile to make sure South Staffordshire remains a great place to live, work and visit.

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Brewood GP Practice

InfrastructureLocal Needs

Littleton Green School

Connect Service

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Historic parklands remain an important feature of the district and the district has 16 conservation villages and three canal conservation areas. Eleven village conservation areas have been reappraised and these now have new management plans in place.

Open space and green infrastructure are important in both development design and health and wellbeing. The Council continues to require open space as a fundamental part of any new development scheme so that people have access to green space close to their homes. In addition, the

Council oversees two Green Flag award-winning open spaces at Baggeridge Country Park and the Wom Brook Walk in Wombourne.

Both Baggeridge Country Park and the Wom Brook Walk are also Local Nature Reserves along with Shoal Hill Common, Barnfield Sandbeds, Wyrley Essington Canal and South Staffordshire Railways Walk. The Council also supports Forest of Mercia’s environmental improvement project at Hilton Green to transform a decommissioned sewage works into an environmental educational hub as well as the work of local Friends’ Groups.

Open space Reducing our carbon footprintAs the national agenda for increased use of green energy has risen to prominence, locally there have been developments that have had a positive impact on reducing the carbon footprint such as wind turbines at Rodbaston, solar farms and solar panel and biomass schemes at residential properties, plus solar panels and battery storage at the Council Offices in Codsall.

Renewable electricity installations also include sewage gas and landfill gas schemes, as well as investment in an Energy From Waste (EFW) facility at Four Ashes, which has the opportunity to contribute to the district’s local energy infrastructure enabling future business and housing development.

Some of the district lies within a protected zone for Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation (SAC). New residential developments which lie within this zone have to pay a levy which goes towards environmental schemes to ensure the SAC is preserved for future generations.

Hilton Green, Hilton Wom Brook Walk, Wombourne

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Baggeridge Country Park - once a mine, now a beautiful community space which has

received Green Flag status for 20 consecutive years

Challenge Academy High Ropes

Baggeridge Tea Rooms

Baggeridge Miniature Railway

People

South Staffordshire is resident to around 111,900 people. When compared to England, South Staffordshire has a lower proportion of children aged under five, under 16 and people aged 16-64. There is, however, a higher proportion of residents who are aged 65 and over.

The overall population of South Staffordshire is projected to increase in the next 10 years by 3%, with a significant growth in people aged 65 and over (19%) and aged 85 and over (47%). The rate of increase in the number of older people in South Staffordshire is faster than the England average and equates to 6,600 additional residents aged 65 and over by 2027.

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111,900 residents

16,000 additional residents aged 85 and over by

2017

South Staffordshire Railway Walk, Wombourne

Skills and employment

Over the last 10 years, the number of young people under 16 has reduced by over 1,000. The proportion of children in South Staffordshire who have reached a good level of development at the age of five is better than the national average yet GCSE attainment rates are similar with inequalities across the district. The attainment rates range from 11% in Perton Dippons ward to 71% in Pattingham and Patshull ward.

The percentage of adults aged 16-64 with NVQ level 3 or above is lower than the national average and there is a higher percentage of adults with no qualifications at all. Yet despite this, unemployment and youth unemployment rates in South Staffordshire (as at May 2018) remain better than the national average.

In terms of employment within South Staffordshire, travel to work patterns indicate a significant outflow (60+%) of the working age population commute out of the district to work every day,

with the most popular destinations being Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, Cannock, Birmingham, Stafford and Telford. Meanwhile, from 2014 to 2018 house prices have increased significantly. Together, both factors may be forcing younger residents out of the district. This will have a negative impact on ‘Place’ as working age people are essential to local services, shops, pubs, health services and help keep the economy thriving and sustainable.

It’s evident that the highest levels of opportunities exist in manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade and human health and social care, with increasing opportunities in professional scientific and technical activities and accommodation and food services. With the recent relocation of Jaguar Land Rover and Gestamp into the district, the importance of manufacturing to South Staffordshire and the wider sub-region has been reinforced.

15Gestamp

International Security Printers Ltd (ISP)

JLR - i54 South Staffordshire

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Planning ahead...• Local businesses of all shapes and sizes have

said that ensuring younger residents have the skills to meet their future needs is their number one priority. Both the Stoke and Staffordshire LEP, through their Strategic Economic Plan, and Staffordshire County Council as the local skills authority, have prioritised the skills agenda in their plan, which is an example of the robust partnership working arrangements in place within the district. South Staffordshire does have a reducing working age population and there is a need to focus on retaining and attracting younger people, along with ensuring that local employers have future access to a wide and skilled labour pool for the district’s ongoing prosperity.

• The gap in the employment rate between those with a long-term health conditions and the general population is 38%, which is 9% higher than the national average. Other vulnerable groups such as residents with mental health conditions or learning disabilities also have relatively low employment rates. To tackle this issue, the Building Better Opportunities programme has supported the personal development of 217 South Staffordshire residents since 2017. It is a bespoke programme, meaning each and every person who joins has an individual action plan that aligns with their personal needs. It supports residents to improve their personal, financial and employability skills and will continue until December 2022.

A project has been set up called Inspiring Tomorrow’s Workforce, the aim is to get businesses and schools in the district working together to up-skill young people for the local employment opportunities.

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• In regards to digital skills, the Council’s annual residents survey in 2018 found that most South Staffordshire residents (86%) use the internet to some degree, similar to previous findings in 2017 and 2016. Findings show that only 17 residents from the 16-34 age bracket and 34 residents from the 35-44 age bracket responded, meaning these results are more robust for the older population. For the minority who do not use the internet (89 respondents), close to half are worried about how their information is used, and a third say they do not feel confident about using the internet. The South Staffordshire Review Magazine still remains the most favoured medium by older residents but email alerts and the Council website are liked too.

• The Council’s previous annual resident survey found that nearly a third of residents aged 55+ wanted to develop their computer skills and support is available to help them. Over the next few years, IT Buddies will be offering support in all the libraries in the district, offering computer skills free to residents. The level of broadband connectivity in South Staffordshire is 92% which is 3% below target and something to continue to improve.

South StaffordshirebuddiesIT Building Better

Opportunities

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Health

Overall life expectancy of South Staffordshire residents is higher than the national average; men are expected to live until the age of 81 and women until the age of 84. The healthy life expectancy of residents living in South Staffordshire however, is 66 years of age; this in conjunction with the predicted increase in the number of people over 65 in the next 10 years will have increased implications on health and social care provision.

On average, both men and women living in the most deprived areas of South Staffordshire live around 5 and 6 years less than those living in less deprived areas. However, the life expectancy of a female in Perton East is 98 years, whilst Perton Dippons is 79 years. This is a significant disparity between two neighbouring wards.

Currently, the percentage of South Staffordshire residents on the dementia, diabetes and hypertension registers is higher than the national average. However, this could reflect good case finding, diagnosis and recording. Whilst the smoking prevalence in South Staffordshire is significantly better than the national average, 6 out of 10 adults in South Staffordshire carry excess weight. In order to tackle adult obesity and long term

health conditions, we have commissioned various health and wellbeing programmes within our communities to reduce the reliance upon health services. Our commissioned programmes include Walking for Health, Gentle Exercise, Forward to Health and South Staffordshire’s Cycling Scheme.

Excess weight and obesity in children is another local and national issue. Around 25% of children aged 4-5 years and 35% of children aged 10-11 years have excess weight in South Staffordshire. Disparities across the district are apparent with Localities 1 and 3 far exceeding their neighbouring localities and the national average.

Planning ahead...• As nutrition and physical exercise are

variables that can have a positive effect on health and delay or prevent a lot of diseases, an aim is to encourage positive changes through continued investment in the Council’s Leisure Centres and a range of outreach health and wellbeing programmes. Working with Clinical Commissioning Groups and the voluntary community and social enterprise sector, options for living a healthy lifestyle can be offered to residents in their local communities. South Staffordshire Council’s role within the health prevention agenda includes the offer of leisure centres, country parks and open spaces for healthy living.

• As one of the fastest ageing populations in the UK, South Staffordshire is committed to continue to be a district that is ‘dementia friendly’. Working alongside parish councils, local service providers, volunteers, local businesses, health services and community groups, the awareness of dementia is being raised with front line staff and residents to recognise signs and symptoms and to encourage early diagnosis and ensure support and treatment is available for all those affected. Gentle Exercise

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Wombourne Leisure Centre Walking for Health3G Pitch - Penkridge Leisure Centre

Codsall Leisure Centre

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WellbeingOverall, South Staffordshire residents are much happier when compared to residents in other local authorities in the West Midlands; they have more life satisfaction and feel more worthwhile. The depression prevalence in adults in South Staffordshire is also the lowest in Staffordshire, alongside Lichfield, and lower than the national average.

Lone parent households are low in South Staffordshire but there is a higher proportion of lone pensioner households compared to the national average. In 2016 Age UK produced a heat map recognising the relative low to high risks of loneliness for Local Authorities based on marital status, self-reported health status, age and household size which clearly highlights some areas of need within the district. Also the 2011 Census showed that 13,500 South Staffordshire residents provide unpaid care, of which 3,400 are aged 65 and over. This is higher than the national average. When considering the predicted increase in the number of people aged over 65 in the next 10 years, if the average healthy life expectancy remains the same, we may see a rise in unpaid care.

Recent figures however, indicate that carers are happier with the amount of social interaction that they get when compared to the national average as well as having a good health-related quality of life as a carer. This may be attributable to the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE)

sector, which is supported by Support Staffordshire in the district and encompasses community groups, charities, local clubs and activities.

Volunteering opportunities help to sustain the district and residents have identified that, if given the choice, maintenance of open spaces, dog fouling patrols, maintenance of churchyards and litter picks are activities they would be interested in supporting. However, 58% of residents didn’t want to volunteer in any of these activities, but would rather pay a new or higher charge for the provision of services. South Staffordshire Council is committed to enabling and supporting the work of the voluntary and community sector, and the Community Lottery was established to provide further funding to community organisations.

The VCSE identifies the top three most important changes to enable more people to work together locally as communities having a greater ability to set their own priorities, communities being more aware of issues facing them collectively and to set priorities relevant to local community. A challenge going forward is to ensure activities and services are accessible and meet local needs”

Often people living on their own feel more vulnerable and isolated but over the past six years, South Staffordshire Council along with partners, have offered a range of social activities, support and services for residents in their local communities.

Friends of Bilbrook

Friends of Barnfield Sandbeds

Friends of Essington

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Planning ahead...• To tackle social isolation the Council’s dial-

a-ride community bus service provides a bookable and fully accessible door-to-door service for elderly and disabled people as well as for anyone who finds it difficult to use traditional buses, trains or other forms of transport. Operating in three zones, between 10am and 3pm on selected days of the week, the community bus service is available for short, local journeys within each zone and passengers pay a flat rate fare of £3 for a single journey or £5 return. The service picks up from passengers’ homes and drops them off at their destination.

• Through the South Staffordshire Community Lottery, South Staffordshire Council is committed to continue its support for local voluntary organisations who assist people and place. Voluntary clubs, support groups and local organisations help people in South Staffordshire access social activities and there is community support available to assist people affected by dementia and their carers as well as exercise classes, advice sessions and volunteering and work placements to improve health and wellbeing and enable residents to live well. Local friends groups, volunteers and residents’ groups also help maintain the open spaces within the district and take on the upkeep of some of the closed churchyards as well as assisting in litter picks in their villages.

SouthStaffordshire

Shoal Hill Common22

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To find out more about South Staffordshire

Tel: 01902 696000www.sstaffs.gov.uk